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COPYRIGHT DEPOSIT. 



LIFE'S REALITIES 



MODERN THOUGHTS ON 
RELIGION and THE POWER 
OF UNIVERSAL LOVE 



Kind hearts are the gardens 
Kind thoughts are the roots 

Kind words are the blossoms 
Kind deeds are the fruits 



By J. HARVEY INNIS, M. D. 



GRAND RAPIDS 

THE DEAN HICKS COMPANY 

1915 






^•2 






COPYRIGHT 1915 BY 

J. HARVEY INNIS, M. D. 

GRAND RAPIDS, MICH. 



PUBLISHED NOVEMBER, 1915 




(y)CI.A414850 



Are you wishing for a brother, 
You may not have far to look; 

You will find him in your neighbor, 
How to treat him— read this book. 



Sincerely dedicated to my wife 
ELIZABETH G. INNIS 



PREFACE 

To those who no longer find it possible to follow mysti- 
cisms, and superstitions, and who as yet have nothing to 
satisfactorily take their place, I offer these thoughts. And 
from those who disagree with what I say, may I ask that 
tolerance which is so necessary in the following of the 
religious impulse. 

Probably those whose religion is founded wholly on 
belief will find no message here; but the person who is 
anxious to live a Christian life may perhaps get something 
of good. If anyone by reading these pages is assisted in 
the clearing away of certain of their doubts and fears, if 
they give a glimpse of the Brotherhood of Man and lead 
him to see in all people his brothers and sisters, then the 
effort will not have been in vain. 

J. Harvey Innis, M.D. 



LIFE'S REALITIES 



A CHANGE IS AT HAND 

No thoughtful man or woman who lives today can help 
but realize that the old order is changing, and that some- 
thing new is in the air. There is a restlessness in the 
industrial v/orld, and no less so in the religious world. And 
in the family life as well can the change be noticed. 

There is no need for fear. Fundamental things will not 
suffer in the end from this unrest. The great facts of life 
are immutable. It is only man's attitude toward them that 
is unsettled. The task of seeking, reaffirming, and stand- 
ing upon the real truths is one that should be on the con- 
science of every one who wishes to play his or her part in 
the work of the world. Every one should help to build up 
civilization and religion. Never was it so necessary to 
take a stand for the right as during this period of readjust- 
ment. Individuals must not drift, they must act, for only 
thus will the true Christianity be established. If the busi- 
ness man does not play square and live up to the teachings 
of the Golden Rule, his helpers will not be able to keep 
their full faith in humanity, and give their best thought lo 
their employer's welfare and their own progress toward 
brotherly unity. In religion the church members must live 
right or the world will forsake the church. Just and 



8 LIFE'S REALITIES 

brotherly men can remake the business ideal if there are 
a sufficient number of them in the world. Ideals of home 
may change, but clean, strong lives will still find their 
greatest inspiration in the home influence. Each soul 
that falls in with God's plan for goodness and love will 
help others to find a more solid footing. When a church 
is formed and carried on with regard to the principles laid 
down by Jesus Christ, the principles of love and kindness 
and helpfulness to the erring and undeveloped, that church 
will endure throughout the ages of doubt and change of 
doctrine. So we should not fear the changing times, but 
should rather "get busy" on the task of helping to bring 
to birth the knowledge of the truer things that arc to be. 
Let us study more fully the workings of God in order to 
get a clearer idea of the way in which we may best help to 
bring to man the vision of a new heaven and a new earth. 



II. 

MAN 

What is man, what are his possibilities, and why are we 
here? Is the greatest man the one with the sentimental 
turn of mind or the logical one? I think that we will all 
agree that the mind is greater than the body. Yet without 
the body there would be no mind of man. 

Man has two minds, the subjective and the objective. 
The objective is the one he uses at the time he is speaking, 
and the subjective is the reservoir of stored ideas upon 
which he can draw when he is through with the thought 
which occupies his attention at the present time. The 
brain can store away present experiences as well as think 
fresh ideas. Science is as yet undecided as to whether we 
create thought or whether the brain receives the ideas from 



LIFE'S REALITIES 9 

without. That they come through the natural process of 
growth is true. 

The great Mind of minds works through our brain to 
express himself. If so we must have a brain and then a 
higher one, the first like unto the animals for selfish pur- 
poses, such as the obtaining of food and pleasure; and the 
other to express higher thoughts. If you analyze yourself 
honestly you will find two motives in all your work — the 
first to obtain the things which are useful, and the second to 
get what appeals to you for pleasure and adornment. If 
we are to be happy, those two natures must be satisfied, 
and this can be brought about by seeing that everything is 
essential good. 

When in childhood the storing process is going on, how 
essential it is that we should be sure that we are giving 
the child, not facts as we see them, but the knowledge that 
he can always learn and is always learning; that the find- 
ings of today are to be used to the end of greater knowledge 
on the morrow. At the present time the child is often filled 
with all sorts of fiction, prejudices, myths and superstitions, 
to such an extent that it is practically impossible to get 
a better idea into his head. For years it has been taught 
that in all new ideas one should listen to the voice of con- 
science and find it an unfailing guide. There never was a 
more absurd proposition. Conscience is a hindrance to 
man's advancement in thought and better ideas. If the 
proper idea had been implanted in the first place, the case 
would have been a different one; but as man is a growing 
creature, anything that retards his advance is wrong. Store 
away in the subjective mind the idea of reason and it will 
be much better for the person when he has reached 
maturity. Any belief which has to be perpetuated through 
the medium of the conscience because it will not bear the 
light of reason ought to be dropped. And by this you can 



10 LIFE'S REALITIES 

see the truth of the saying, "Give me the child and I will 
have the man." This is only another way of stating that if 
the child is not caught in childhood, it will be impossible to 
get him. And why? Because his reason has been developed 
and you have not a reasonable thing to offer. Early impres- 
sions are lasting, therefore we should take care that we 
encourage in the child the ability to reason, to investigate, 
and to weigh, and to finally accept only that which will line 
up with life as God is endeavoring to have it. 

It would seem very presumptuous for finite man to con- 
clude that his idea of God could be final, and thus cripple 
a child in his mental and spiritual growth by filling his 
mind with ideas and ideals which he is taught are final, 
when in reality they are only in the process of growth. 
Take for example the story of Adam being the first man 
six thousand years ago. If some people were to be told 
that there are mummies twice as old as that, and that twelve 
thousand years ago Egj^pt had reached a high state of 
civilization, would they believe it? And why? On account 
of their early education. If one should visit an island and 
be the first civilized man that landed there and one found 
man in a very degraded state on that island, would it cause 
him to doubt that man was made and that Adam was the 
first one? Would one be able to think out a higher law that 
produced man through the process of growth, and therefore 
could be found and started anywhere that conditions were 
right? Or would one by chance be like the Irishman who 
was put off his holding by the overseer. The landlord came 
by and noticed Pat sitting by the wayside upon his belong- 
ings. Pat told him his trouble and the landlord said he was 
sorry and offered him another holding. But Pat would 
have none of it. When asked the reason why, he said he 
preferred his grievance. How many of us prefer our 



LIFE'S REALITIES 11 

dogmas, our creeds and other absurd ideas to a fuller free- 
dom in Christ Jesus! 

But there is a remedy. Know the truth and the truth 
will make you free. Jesus said, "I have many things to 
say, but ye cannot bear them now." 



III. 

FINDING GOD 

Many present day conditions are confusing to the mind, 
and tend toward the unsettling of many of our most 
cherished beliefs as to God, and to His attitude to us. It 
would seem as if man had advanced far enough intel- 
lectually so that there might be a unifying idea as to what 
God is, as well as to what our interests in Him should be. 
We cannot get together unless we all keep an open mind. 
If we are not free we will have to wait until the brain 
becomes larger and the spirit in man nobler before we can 
see eye to eye. Creeds, legends, myths and superstitions 
only succeeded in driving us further and further apart. 
Present knowledge coupled with an honest spirit of inquiry 
should now be tried with a view of seeing if we cannot get 
such a view of God as will make us more brotherly in our 
human associations. Ridicule by word or print, low jokes 
as to this practice or that in the church does not enlighten 
us. Difference of opinion as regards knowledge derived 
from the same source, as shown by the different Christian 
sects' views of the Bible, only puzzles us still more. Some 
teaching three Gods and others one; some immersing and 
others sprinkling, and still others ignoring all forms of 
baptism; some believing in a personal God and Devil and 
others holding the belief that they are just names for a 
spiritual influence; some holding that the Bible is the 



12 LIFE'S REALITIES 

inspired Word of Clod, and others that it is man's word 
about God. 

Now, if it could be shown that there was no essential 
difference in all this complexity ; that knowledge could dis- 
cover a unifying principle underlying it all, why would it 
not be well to give ear to the idea? (I am asking that the 
reader will give me a chance to present all the evidence 
before he or she ventures to criticise what I have to say.) 

We are restless in our beliefs lest violence be done to 
our cherished ideals, so we are prone to combat, rather than 
to weigh statements which on further consideration may 
prove to be acceptable. The seeming antagonism may melt 
into a glorious harmony so far-reaching that man's sym- 
pathy and charity for his fellow-being may be the final 
outcome. That there are so many religious sects all basing 
their authority on the Bible either proves the absurdity of 
the Bible or puts the laugh on us for allowing ourselves to 
be so misled as to believe that the view we were originally 
taught was the true one. Somebody is in the wrong, and 
so I ask you, my friend, to read carefully and ponder what 
I say in the following chapters. 



IV. 



A PLEA FOR UNITY 

There is no way out of a complexity until you can get 
a line on its central truth — or, as some might say, until you 
can get at the heart of it. There is no way of getting at 
this central truth except that of serious investigation, and 
in so doing we obtain knowledge. Knowledge is power. It 
is better to know less, if what we do possess is real true 
knowledge, than to have a lot of unreliable, uncorrelated, 
misleading information about any matter. Man has the 



LIFE'S REALITIES 13 

capability to grow in knowledge, therefore it must be right 
for him to search the teachings of Nature for the truth. 
When we come into the world we are without knowledge. 
If we never saw anything, never heard anything, never felt 
anything, never smelt or tasted anything after our arrival 
here we would never know anything. Do you get that? 
One is what they are through their experiences gained from 
the use of the five senses plus a tendency through hereditary 
influences to use one more than the other, i. e., to be indus- 
trious or otherwise, etc., etc. This is the place for you to 
stop and think. God gave you the baby? No, nature gave 
you the baby. Yes, by complying with God's laws baby 
came. But Nature's laws are God's laws, so God did give 
you the baby, through His law. 

God giveth wisdom. You get wisdom by using aright 
your privileges, by working out aright Nature's laws — 
which are God's laws. Wherefore, God giveth wisdom. 

We get knowledge by applying ourselves in God's way. 
It takes God's laws twenty-one years to grow a man's 
body, but generation upon generation to grow a man 
mentally, and still more generations to perfect him 
spiritually. We are dealing with man only as we find him 
here and now. Science can prove that it has taken ages 
to grow the body to physical perfection, even to the physical 
perfection of the present time. I am anxious to deal with 
him as we are able to investigate and gain facts. 

This would be a very uninteresting life if a man was 
to have all knowledge at its beginning. Man is somewhat 
at a disadvantage. On his arrival in the world he finds 
everything started and running along, some things smoothly 
and other things confusedly. In Nature everything is 
harmonious, but the mind of man is confused. And con- 
fusion makes its appearance when you begin to investigate 
the mind of man. Man in his early stages of development 



14 LIFE'S REALITIES 

has a mind like the infant of today. A boy or a girl in 
their journey from infancy to maturity passes through all 
the stages that the race has passed through in order to 
attain to its maturity. Is this true? Think it over well. 
Does not the child at first believe everything he is told no 
matter how absurd? Did not man centuries ago do the 
same, and does not the undeveloped do the same today? 
Doesn't the child at a certain stage love to climb, love 
to live in caves, love to wander away from home, and find 
happiness in the little things of life? Has not man in the 
past lived that all out? One believes in childhood the most 
absurd stories of Santa Claus, and later on this belief was 
put aside as childish, only to see later on that there is a 
spiritual Santa Claus, better called the Spirit of Gift- 
Giving, and just as real as your material Santa of childish 
recollection. And so, many things that one reads must be 
taken in the same way. It is not true just because it is 
printed, although it may have a value in "sizing up" the 
stage of development at the time it was printed. 



V. 

GOD IN LIFE 

Do not let my words of the previous chapters dismay 
you, but rather ponder them well and see if they ring true 
to life as you know it. Ask yourself .seriously if that really 
is God's way of working in the world. Has he a constant 
plan which goes on continually, and which might better be 
termed cause and effect? Will certain acts produce certain 
results, or will He interrupt the working of His own laws 
because of certain appeals of man, and withhold the effect 
which would ordinarily have fallen? How do you in your 
experiences find Him — changeable of purpose or firm as 



LIFE'S REALITIES 15 

the Rock of Ages. If there is anything permanent in the 
Universe, doesn't it seem as though God, the cause of all 
things, would be unchanging and immovable? Why God 
has hidden Himself from the face of man we know not, but 
we do know that the search for Him is a very pleasant one, 
and that the closer the man gets to Him the more noble man 
becomes, and the more wonderful He seems to man. All 
these powers of man for apprehending God came from man 
being in the universe and connected up with God through 
His law of growth. 

Is a tree any less of God because it grows instead of 
being made? Is man any less of God because throughout 
the ages he has been growing, mentally, physically and 
spiritually? Those who have studied man find him to be 
a creature of habit. Think about this and see if it is not 
so. Every person in any church is there from force of 
habit. Is not that true? Does not a parent send the 
children to a certain church so that they may get the 
habit of going there? All churches look well after the 
young that they may acquire the church habit before their 
minds are advanced enough to use their reasoning powers. 
To be kind we must get the habit — if you get the unkind 
habit how much trouble you invite. The habits of honesty 
and truth-telling bring pleasure, while their opposite brings 
misery. 

VL 

THE SOUL 

Just what is the soul? We hear much about "lost souls," 
and about "saving the soul." Under the circumstances it 
is most vital to know what the soul is. Much of the 
wrangling which goes on with regard to religious matters 
would be done away with, if all had the same idea of God 



16 LIFE'S REALITIES 

and the soul which God is generally represented as trying 
to save. How even the thought of being saved mystifies 
one, and the multitudinous ways that are suggested for 
performing this act only puzzle one more and more. We 
have some idea of how we get our hair, teeth and such 
things, but how do we get the soul? We know we get our 
bodies through nature's laws, and our mind by living out 
the laws of life, which is the manner in which minds are 
developed, but how about the soul? I almost hesitate to 
go further for fear that you will not understand what I 
am trying to demonstrate, on account of prejudices and 
habits of thought. But if you will give me an open mind 
and a willing heart, I will proceed to find the answer to 
our question in God's natural laws, free from all trace of 
mysticism and superstition. God, who has placed us on 
the earth to live and grow and be happy, is no less great 
because He has arranged through Nature's laws — which 
are His laws — that the soul shall grow in the same ways 
as our bodies do. One has brain with the body, produced in 
the same way as the body. With body at work for brain 
you get a mind, and with the mind the plans for life's needs 
are carried out. With the mind the discovery is made of 
something in life beyond bodily comforts. A relationship 
with one's fellow man is discovered, and upon that rela- 
tionship depends the happiness of the individual. 

When a child begins to share his belongings with 
another, without coercion from the outside, then the little 
spark of soul life is kindled, and gradually the habit 
increases. And the time comes when the pleasure of the 
other child becomes his chief desire, and then the Kingdom 
of God has been established within — he is no longer a self- 
ish brute. Blessed is the peacemaker for he has learned 
that true happiness comes from seeing others happy. Why 
is he a peacemaker? Because he believed something? No, 



LIFE'S REALITIES 17 

because he lived under the law that produces peacemakers. 

Why is it so hard for a rich man or a drunkard to be 
kind? Why do they not allow the Kingdom of God to be 
established within them? Because they are not living 
under the law of God that makes for kindness, but have 
contracted mental and physical habits which lead to 
unkindness. Kindness, then, is the fruit one bears when 
they have developed their souls along the proper lines, so 
that they have God within. The soul is the God indwelling 
within humanity. Man would appear then to be the ulti- 
mate in the universe where God will reside, where God 
becomes the controlling power. Harmony is the incubator 
of the soul, and kindness is the fruit it brings forth. 

What about a lost soul? If we confine the soul to the 
everlasting part of man, how could it be lost? (It could 
only be lost to him by retrograding to his brute nature. I 
If we mean the motive power in man, as that of the animals, 
of course that could be lost, but what is eternal must have 
always been. Nothing that is begun here can be everlast- 
ing; for what begins on earth will end there. God being 
the only spirit which is from everlasting to everlasting the 
soul must be the Spirit God. 

THOUGHTS OF GOD 

VII. 

How much we hear of God! We find ever more of con- 
fusion when we hear people talking of Him. The quality 
of His attributes seems to be determined by the mental 
calibre of the different grades of humanity. Some believe 
that He may be persuaded to change His course of action, 
if we may judge by the nature of their prayers. They 



18 LIFE'S REALITIES 

seem to regard winning Him over to their side simply a 
matter of exercising sufficient faith — a matter of competi- 
tion, so to speak, against the other fellow. Of course, all 
this pre-supposcs Him to be a deity with liuman attributes, 
sitting in His heaven and ruling like an earthly king. 

Once God was greatly feared, and it was supposed that 
His chief delight was to awe us into submission. When I 
say once I mean at a certain stage in our development. His 
wrath was shown in the thunder, in the flood, in the hur- 
ricane, and in the pestilence; in accidents, sickness and 
death. To appease His wrath and to win His friendship 
He was offered gifts, sacrifices and penances. But now we 
are able to see that He transcends all nature and is in 
Nature's laws — that His spirit in the universe is all per- 
vasive. The spirit of life and action is His highest mani- 
festation to us. We are further able to see that we may 
walk with Him, and think with Him, and of Him, and 
toward Him. We can work with Him in His effort to 
bring men in harmony with His purposes and with each 
other. So it is plain that when we are endeavoring to bring 
men into happier relationship with each other we are doing 
the best work for God of which humanity is capable. 

If we could only get the spirit idea of God! How it 
would change our attitude toward Him! One man can 
hardly bring that conception to another; the only way for 
one to get the idea is by thinking on the things of God. 
Until a man is further enlightened he does many things to 
interest his fellow men in higher things. Witnessing before 
Him, praying long and earnestly, have their values in work- 
ing toward the light. Sooner or later the knowledge will 
come that one's life is the witness and the most successful 
prayer. How do we know God is a spirit without the 
Bible? Honesty is a spirit, but is it God? Is spirit God? 



LIFE'S REALITIES 19 

VIII. 

WHAT IS MATTER? 

What is matter? We cannot hope to understand spirit 
until we know the relation of spirit to matter. It is said 
that matter consists of seventy-five elements, such as gold, 
silver, carbon, silicon, etc. But science has at last decided 
that all matter is alike when reduced to its final atom. 
The difference in appearance is due solely to the way in 
which the atoms act and react upon each other, or in other 
words, it is the electric, the magnetic, the spiritual condi- 
tion of each atom toward its fellow atom that makes the 
difference in appearance between material objects. If this 
is granted to be true, may it not be a fact that there are 
only two things in the universe — spirit and matter? It 
may be that the time shall come when we will have the 
capacity to conceive of matter and spirit as one. The 
action of spirit in matter always seems to be working from 
the simple to the complex. Matter goes on from gas to 
solid, from solid to vegetation, from vegetation to flesh, 
from flesh to mind, and so on up the line until spirit is 
reached, mind at last acquiring the ability to see spirit in 
everything. 

Not understanding this gives rise to a great variety of 
conceptions of God. If God is this spirit, you can see what 
it means to say that God is everywhere. One has but to 
listen to the different prayers people offer to the Almighty 
to see how hopelessly at sea men are as to the nature of 
God. If God is all, and in all, immutable, unchanging, 
from everlasting to everlasting, without a shadow of turn- 
ing, pursuing the even tenor of His way by an exact law, 
each forward step being reached through an unfailing 
sequence, then it is only by knowing this law that we can 
get the right conception of Him, which will lead us on unto 



20 LIFE'S REALITIES 

the truth of perfect harmon5\ If people at h\rge were per- 
suaded of this truth how quickly they would cease all 
advice to Him and the effort to plead with Him to make a 
special exception in one particular case. They would then 
know that He cannot be changed, but that the ability to 
change lies with us. Know the truth and the truth will 
make you free! 



If a man's forehead is one-half an inch high, he will 
ride a log across the river, and the God he worship.-^ will 
be a serpent, or an idol of his own making; if his forehead 
is an inch high, he will dig the log out and worship the 
.sun, etc.; if it is two inches high, he will have a birchbark 
canoe, and worship the Great Spirit; if it is two and one- 
half inches high, he will have a sailboat, and have God as 
a king; and if his forehead is three inches high, he will have 
a steamboat and look upon God as a Father. But it is only 
as we look upon God as both Father and ^Mother that we 
get the best idea of Him. The father idea is too austere. 
The father will order the mother to pull in the latch string 
to keep her wayward boy outside, but when the father is 
asleep the mother will poke the latch string out again. God 
not only has the latch string out, but He tells us that it 
is out and that He is inside. 

The fact that man is incurably religious shows that 
religion is a part of his being and tlierefore a prime neces- 
sity. This inner desire is the power that impels him onward 
toward a better condition of mind when he can get the 
Kingdom of God within. 

It is only the thoughtful that can see any advantage in 
vegetable decay, but decay is just as natural as growth. 
Because God is in a living thing, is He not as much in a 
dead thing? Is His law not at work in both stages? The 
decaying vegetation prepares for a higher growth the next 



LIFE'S REALITIES 21 

time, just as the generation which passes away paves the 
way for more mind and spirit in the succeeding one. Does 
not all this go to show us the law of life? Everything 
lives becomes, grows, matures, gets old and dies, and this 
is true of the nation and the planets as well as of the 
individual. This world and all worlds follow the same 
law. The earth will mature and go into decay, gradually 
disintegrating and being resolved into gas or dust, to be 
taken up by other forming worlds to make a better one. 
Will not the spirit then, passing on, make a better one 
somewhere in the future? Nothing is destroyed, only 
changed. 



IX 

REVIEW OF THE PAST 

Now that we have observed the workings of nature, it 
will be interesting to look back upon history, legends and 
writings of all kinds, in order to see how man has lived and 
thought, to make possible the knowledge we now possess. 
The first difficulty we shall find is that of valuing each 
writing, so it will be necessary to have some standard by 
which to judge the worth of each idea. For instance, Jesus 
says: "Love the Lord with all your heart, and your neigh- 
bor as yourself." Now this is not true because Jesus said 
it. It was true before He said it. Why is it true to me? 
Because I see from practice that it brings me the greatest 
good in life; therefore I conclude that He has voiced an 
eternal truth, because it is good for me anywhere and at 
any time whether now or in eternity. The only problem 
which confronts us here is how we can love God whom we 
have not seen. But by Jesus' other sayings we come to 



22 LIFE'S REALITIES 

tlie conclusion, as did St. John, that loving and serving 
our fellow men is the highest service that we may render 
unto God; and the ultimate end of the service of our fel- 
lows is that we are brought into harmony with God. Every- 
thing that we find written, no matter by whom, or where 
it is found, if opposed to one's getting closer to his fellow 
man, must of necessity be wrong. 

Christ said, "Moses says unto you 'An eye for an eye,' 
but I say if they smite you on one cheek, turn them the 
other." We agree with Christ because it keeps us closer 
to our fellow men. 

Moses says: "Thou shalt do no murder!" Joshua says: 
"God tells me to kill all the Canaanites." Here we agree 
with Moses because we see he is in line with the eternal 
truth voiced by Jesus Christ, "Love your neighbor as 
yourself!" 

One prophet says, "Bring your best from the flock and 
offer to God on the Altar before the High Priest." Another 
remarks: "God takes no pleasure in sacrifices of blood; 
what He wants is the hearts of men; a broken and a con- 
trite heart He will not despise." Still another says: "What 
does God require of thee but to do justly, love mercy, and 
walk humbly with thy God." In the light of our present 
knowledge we cannot but choose the latter two sayings 
because they come nearer to our standard of love and 
service to our fellows. Is there then contradiction? 

There is a way of looking on life and God's purposes 
which varies with the individual light. Are the prophets all 
inspired? Most certainly they are. But the instruments 
they had to work with were not all of the same standard of 
excellence. The musician can only give the most delight 
to his hearers when he has the use of a good instniment. 
Writers, no matter how intense their passion for the truth 
can only give to the w^orld the truth as it seems to them. 



LIFE'S REALITIES 23 

An uneducated brain or a biased mind, no matter how 
earnest their promptings, are liable to wander far afield, 
although at heart they are anxious to do the right. Inspira- 
tion is a very natural thing. God through nature inspires 
everybody and everything. First we have the imperfect 
working toward the admixture of perfect and imperfect, 
and finally the last word, the finished product. It would 
seem as if we were in the second stage at the time we 
now live. 

Yet in all ages, no matter how imperfect, there have 
been men far in advance of the crowd, and these superior 
persons had to bear the jealousy and envy of the inferior 
ones; and in the early ages that meant that they generally 
bore them unto death. This seems to be a law of life, 
though why it should be only eternity will reveal. One has 
but to look upon inventions and man's effort to govern, to 
see this law at work. If you wished to see the most highly 
perfected automobile, you would not insist on seeing the 
first model. If you wished to study the best form of 
government, you would not examine the first beginnings of 
the art of good government. And so by that same token 
you would demand for an aid in finding God the last word 
about Him, rather than man's first glimmerings of religion. 
One would have more faith in Drummond's thoughts upon 
God than he would in Caliban's musings upon Setebos. 

Christ said, "Servants, be obedient to your master." 
Abe Lincoln made the statement that no man was big 
enough to own another man. Christ said, "The poor ye 
have always with you," and then he gives us the inspira- 
tion that we must somehow get together in order that the 
poor will be done away with. And so the thought sets 
forces at work within us to evolve a plan whereby Christ's 
wish may be accomplished. Jesus did not write at all. He 
knew that men would get different ideas of what he had 



24 LIFE'S REALITIES 

told tliem, some emphasizing one thing and some another, 
and that they would in the end become helplessly entangled 
in their divergent notions as to his message. He chose 
rather to appeal to the best in humanity, to those who had 
eyes to see and those who had ears to hear. That his fears 
were realized we may easily find by study of the writings 
of those who heard his lessons while living, and endeavored 
to write them down. One emphasized grace, another works, 
one sacrifice, another foreordination, and still another 
church with many forms and symbols. These writers 
mostly agreed that kindness was essential, but they dif- 
fered greatly as to the way of bringing it about. Christ had 
great faith in man. Men regarded man as a weakling who 
must have all sorts of crutches and supports. Christ gave 
an unparalleled illustration of the kind of man God prefers 
in the story of the Good Samaritan. 

Grace is right, but we know that it is not poured out 
upon us at a certain time in life when we go forward in 
meeting, or stand up to be prayed for. Grace is born in 
us and grows as we fall in line with eternal spirit. It is the 
power which gives us strength to choose the right. 

Faith is shown when we by grace make the choice to 
forsake that which tends toward the encouragement of 
hatred, and begin to live the kindly life. We are fore- 
ordained to sometime, somehow, somewhere, come into 
harmony with our fellows, and thus with God and nature. 
Heretofore there has been not much else beside confusion, 
but it is up to the persons who have seen the light to 
harmonize all conflicting ideas, and this may best be done 
by living a harmonious life which will be an inspiration to 
our fellows. 

We might never have heard of Christ's life had it not 
been for His tragic death. The mistake we make is to dwell 
so much on His death and not more upon His life. His 



LIFE'S REALITIES 25 

death and the death of all the lesser martyrs causes us to 
turn our attention to their teachings, that we may study 
out for ourselves that faith in things etenial which led 
them to accept the cross. 

Innumerable creeds, churches and forms of religion, all 
professing to be the best way to the knowledge of God's 
plan, surround us on every hand. What is one to do but 
try to get a line on some belief that will excuse all this 
"confusion of tongues" and lead him to see that it is all 
necessary to advancement? When things seem to be the 
most hopelessly entangled a Moses will appear to lead the 
world out of the wilderness, to unity through knowledge. 
For that is the end of all knowledge, to lead us to see eye 
to eye. Man's best friend is man, and it is discord that 
keeps men apart. With all our gettings we must not forget 
to get wisdom, because wisdom is the result of knowledge 
of the right kind. "Knowledge comes but wisdom lingers." 

We send our children to school that they may develop 
the ability to think, and we must be careful that we do not 
allow biased thoughts on spiritual matters to block their 
progress. Do not tell them that the kingdom of God is 
here or there, but rather that they are to search for it in 
the depths of their own being. It is like a well of water 
which, if given a free outlet, springs up to everlasting life. 
Man in his lower state was a worm of the dust, even as 
some have said, but in the light of his possibilities he is 
noble as the finest mind of man ever conceived him to be. 
When one gets his base established on the Rock of Ages, 
and obtains some idea of the facts of life, the study of life 
becomes very interesting. To read the thoughts of a man, 
no matter what age he lived in, and to read them in the 
light of what we think he should have written, is a fascinat- 
ing occupation. The pleasant thing about following the 
development of ideas from age to age through the medium 



26 LIFE'S REALITIES 

of History, is that all the time, because of our superior 
knowledge, we know that the darkness of ignorance will 
eventually break in the beautiful light of the full knowledge 
of God. 

X. 

EVIL 

And now let us devote our thought to the question of 
evil. What is evil, and is there really any such thing? 
Here again we are liable to be misunderstood. It might be 
better for me not to say what I am going to say — or I 
might say it, and you might delay reading it until you have 
digested well my previous words. In any case remember 
what I have said before that being creatures of a day we 
are prone to judge ever}- question from its effect on the 
present. But in dealing with such matters as love, hate, 
death, evil and even life, we must endeavor to see them in 
the light of ete^nit3^ 

There is but one spirit, and that is God. One talks 
about positive and negative electricity, although every one 
knows tiiat there is but one electricity. The positive pole 
is life giving, and the negative is destructive and death 
dealing. These names are simply given because of the 
action when manipulated. Can you have a good thing with- 
out a bad to show it forth by contrast? A thing is not 
necessarily evil of itself, even though we feel it to be evil. 
Evil comes into an action when we feel that we are doing 
that which our higher nature rebels against. A Moham- 
medan will not wear silk because it was prt^duced by a 
worm and therefore unclean. An orthodox Jew will not 
eat meat unless it has been killed in a certain way — is not 
"kosher" as he calls it. Some people keep Saturday for 
the Sabbath and others are very strict in regard to Sunday 



LIFE'S REALITIES 27 

observance. Dancing is a great evil in the minds of some. 
Country and suburban churches denounce cards, while 
downtown church members see no harm in a game, when 
it is played under proper conditions in the home. What is 
worn and eaten is right or wrong according to the customs 
in which the persons are brought up. 

Our different ideas of evil have probably done us as 
much harm in the keeping us apart as our conflicting ideas 
of what is good. If one is always "peeved" and quarrel- 
some when one is at meals does not prove that eating is 
an evil, but it does prove that you are eating under the 
wrong conditions. Does one stop eating? Hardly; they 
change the conditions, if they are wise. Does one cheat 
and wrangle at cards? Change your attitude and your 
manner of playing. Does the keeping of certain days make 
one's love for their fellow beings stronger or draw them 
nearer together? If not, why keep the day? You see the 
evil is not what we do, but the way in which we do it. It 
is quite evident to the thoughtful man that the greatest evil 
is the want of love and tolerance. Nature abhors a vacuum 
and when love is absent hate creeps into the vacant place. 
When a man decides by the use of his God-given faculties 
that he will stop hating and begin loving, that henceforth 
he will devote his life to kindness and eschew hate, that he 
will say and do the kind thing, is he not then born again, is 
he not a new creature in Christ Jesus? Is not his belief 
in Christ perfected when he believes in Him so greatly that 
he is enabled through the grace of His inspiration to begin 
to live the life which He taught, the way of life He thought 
so much of, the way of life He died on the cross for that 
He might show His attitude toward life? Should hate 
abound? Yes, that the good might more abound. Weeds 
are harmful to the wheat and the farmer works to keep 
them out. Hate is harmful to the person, and all must work 



28 LIFE'S REALITIES 

to keep it from crowding out the good in mankind. How- 
can we best honor God? How does a son best do honor to 
his father that he may be proud to call him son? By ful- 
filling the hopes the father has centered in him. And so 
man best honors God by becoming a kind, neighborly man. 



XL 

THE HIGHEST IN MAN IS GOD 

After a careful study of the Bible and so-called secular 
history and the spirit of today, we have to conclude this 
to be a growing world. We find the great law of life is to 
begin to grow, mature and pause, then a backward move- 
ment to where it started, through what we call death. This 
certainly is true of matter, and through matter, mind and 
the individual are separated. This mind undeveloped from 
selfishness may follow the same law. The growing mind 
will also culminate or come to its pause on earth to grow 
somewhere eternally. This world may be the prenatal con- 
ception of the Love Spirit, it may be born into its own 
recognized inheritance after death. Be that as it may, as 
far as we are concerned, our interest is centered upon the 
intent of life. Why is life at all? It has been considered 
as a place to rehearse the songs that we are to sing in 
praise to God through eternity — that God's only aim is 
to have Himself continually praised. To the thinking mind 
this would appear to be out of keeping with this benevolent 
Spirit called God, and too small an aim for a spirit so 
great as Go<:l must be. However, this has been man's con- 
ception of Him. But I would like to prophesy that such 
a view will soon be replaced by a much more lofty one. 
Man will come to see that the universe is the body, so to 
speak, of a great loving Spirit with an intent to culminate 



LIFE'S REALITIES 29 

all into a man, through which He can express Himself in 
a higher sense than in formation and growth. Outside of 
mind this spirit seems to be busy in growing, forming and 
regrowing and reforming, always intent to grow better and 
to form higher, until gases produce earth, vegetable, animal, 
man in sequence. All this shows there is to be a culmina- 
tion somewhere. The greatest physical power in the uni- 
verse is magnetic force, which is a low form of spirit. This 
force makes life possible. This is higher as mind and 
highest as soul or God. There is nothing higher in the 
material world than a thinking brain. The magnetic atom 
culminates in a thinking man. He is the highest object 
in the material world. From a thinking man there is a 
step higher of the mind. When a mind can conceive mind 
it is still higher. When mind conceives love it has cul- 
minated as far as the world is concerned. There is nothing 
greater than a mind occupied with and whose whole aim 
is love. This highest of men sees love everywhere and sees 
the individual as a co-worker with the Great Eternal Plan ; 
can see the love spirit is at the foundation of all things, 
growing on with an intent of forming man as a being in 
which it can behold itself and through him be of mutual 
help to everything in creation. When mind is thus given 
over to the spirit of good, the man becomes a God man. 
Through Him God cares for His children and lessens the 
pain in a sinful world. The soul then is the highest mani- 
festation of God in the universe. Man, occupied with this 
growing love spirit, is in harmony with all that has grown 
and has entered heaven. He is now ready for any expe- 
rience he must have after death. All preconceptions of 
God as free grace, predestination. Fatherhood of God, 
God's justice, merciful God, etc., have been fulfilled. They 
were but stepping stones to his higher growth to fit him for 
the indwelling of soul or God. All such questions were gym- 



30 LIFE'S REALITIES 

nasties to the mind, that might strengthen it to be able as 
grace to perceive God to be a spirit in formation, but higher 
as soul. The soul follows thinking, thinking follows brain, 
brain follows animal, animal follows vegetable, vegetable 
follows earth, earth follows rock, rock follows liquid or 
molten material, liquid follows gaseous conditions and 
gaseous conditions follow electrified atoms which are, in 
their essence, all alike, and in these resides the spirit God. 
We thus behold the Eternal Spirit ever pushing onward and 
upward to be at last manifested in man filled with love, 
growing man a God man. This life is not a failure, but all 
things work together for good, turning the universe into 
a heaven where God can enjoy the presence of an innumer- 
able host filled with peace and love. Thus the ultimate in 
man and God are reached. The soul then reverts back to 
God and it is thus following the same law as the material 
world. 

XII. 

CONCLUSION 

What would have happened if we had adopted the 
Greek history for our Old Testament in place of the Old 
Testament of the Jews? Christ's teachings are much more 
in harmony with those of the Greeks. Pythagoras, who 
lived six hundred years before Christ, taught that the truth 
was simple, not strange and peculiar; that it was not fixed 
in dead languages and peculiar formulae, but in the inner 
life of man. Later on a great poet voiced the same idea 
when he said: 

"Truth lies within ourselves, it takes no rise, 

From outward things, whate'er you may believe, 
There is an inward center in us all 



LIFE'S REALITIES 31 

Where truth abides in fulness, 
And around 
Wall upon wall the gross flesh hems it in, 
This perfect clear perception which is truth." 

How much this resembles the teaching of Jesus when 
he said, "The kingdom of heaven is within you." Socrates' 
advice to cA-eryone was "Know thyself." Second-hand 
thought is always in the interest of the dealer; the right 
thought considers only the user. "For few to think and 
many to memorize neutralizes progress. The brain is an 
organ and if it is to be kept in health it must be used. The 
highest pleasure in life is to follow up ideas; and if you do 
not live your highest thoughts you are likely to lose them. 
When one talks too much about their higher thoughts they 
often find themselves too busy to live them. That is the 
way all purveyors of second-hand thought begin. In their 
anxiety to succeed they forget that a better thought lies 
just ahead. Their only anxiety is for the one that now 
possesses them. They often lighted the fires of martyrdom 
and slashed with the sword to maintain its purity as they 
conceived it. The man whose spirit rules his world through 
the following of the natural laws of God helps in the move- 
ment forward toward growth, happiness. Justice, peace and 
right, joins in the growing procession which sees "One 
God, one law, one element and one far off divine Event to 
which the whole creation moves." And so all is good when 
rightly received. The supernatural is simply the super- 
physical; the more he studies conditions around him, the 
greater becomes his faith in the truth that "All's well with 
the world." The universe is planned for good. There is 
no devil but ignorance and fear; and God is on our side. 
We should never have imagined that we were worms of the 
dust had we not been told it." So we must forget all dogmas 
and appreciate the fact of God's never-failing loyalty to 



32 LIFE'S REALITIES 

man. The Church and the Book is not to be man's court 
of last resort, but the spirit within; and man will have the 
kingdom of God within when he reaches the stage of 
development that necessitates its presence. The responsi- 
bility of the world is not with man, but rather with God 
and therefore our experiences are to be accepted and not 
feared. Trust in God and do good. 



INTRODUCTION 

The deeper things I have rhymed. 
That you might get them clearly; 

You will find it all well timed, 
I hope you'll treat it fairly. 

Have no zephyrs through the trees, 
Only simple words you'll see; 

Nor used poetical fancies. 
To bring truth to you and me. 

MAN IN THE PAST 

Man loved God, before man loved man, 

It was all because of fear; 
He also built Cathedrals grand. 

Before good homes did appear. 

He loved God in an early day. 
For Him would fight and murder, 

Imprison, burn, in every way, 
Annoy and hurt his brother. 



LIFE'S REALITIES 33 

He worshiped Him with lamb and dove, 

He endeavored to please Him; 
He did not know that God was love, 

That hate was man's greatest sin. 

When Jesus tried to set them right, 

"You serve God by loving man," 
They then began with all their might, 

Deadly plots and schemes to plan. 

This was against their own belief. 

It displeased their God above; 
And they must come to His relief. 

They could not see God was love. 

"So love God and hate your brother, ^ 

You will always liars be; 
But for each to love the other, 
Is the greatest good to see." 

How this did make them fume and rage, 

To the church we have been true, 
We kept God's law in every age; 

Helped Him all men to subdue. 

So Him on the cruel cross they nailed; 

His enemies He forgave; 
To convince them he nearly failed. 

But He to love some did save. 



FINDING CHRIST 

What is Christian, what is not, 
What is the proper view? 



34 LIFE'S REALITIES 

On life I would place no blot, 
Please tell me what is true. 

I dare not take it from you, 
In your way you are set; 

You've studied no other view, 
Turn away with regret. 

The only way that's left me, 
For myself think it out, 

What is it Christian to be, 
Can I bring it about? 

First then, in the world, I see, 
I live my life with all; 

And I find, it seems to me 
A big way and a small. 

Some are up to little tricks. 
Some more noble I find; 

To hurt others in some sticks. 
Others with love do bind. 

The first leads back to the brute, 
The other leads to friends; 

One will gather bitter fruit, 
Other in kindness ends. 

So I will soon make a choice, 
Decide to get the high; 

With all my mind and my voice, 
It's the good I will try. 

Give my brothers what they need, 
They to me will give more; 



LIFE'S REALITIES 35 

Both together we will read, 
Nature's book o'er and o'er. 

I heard of Jesus one day, 

Began to study well; 
And learned that they did Him slay, 

'Cause He of love dared tell. 

Give the cup, let all be fed, 

Clothe all the naked ones. 
Drive out hate, get love instead; 

Thus you become God's sons. 

Then I saw very clearly, 

That I had started right; 
When I can love all dearly, 

I'll be pure in His sight. 

This is the creed I longed for, 

Christianity in life; 
You'll increase your belief, sir! 

When you live it in life. 

When I think how much he paid, 

For the good did submit, 
I will believe all he said, 

Strong enough to live it. 



THE SOCIALIST 

Why should man check another, 
In his efforts for the good? 

Why should we hurt a brother, 
Who is in a helping mood? 



36 LIFE'S REALITIES 

Why deride a socialist, 

When you know his aim is right? 

Why ask of him to desist, 

When to help man is his fight? 

You may not think what he does. 
Is just the thing he should do; 

But he's thinking as he goes, 
He's sure to find what is true. 

You think, and let him think, too, 
All together will be strong; 

Then what's true will get in you, 
All get truth instead of wrong. 

Our work should not us divide, 
I see a way, you see too; 

The truth in all will abide, 
When we to each become true. 

When we find each other's heart, 
You will find we will be one; 

Never again will we part, 
Correct all that should be done. 

In our souls we must unite. 
How it's done should not bother; 

Bring to all the good in sight, 
Bring us all to our brother. 

Man has rarely used his mind, 
By another has been led; 

Let him use it, you will find, 
Mankind will soon forge ahead. 



LIFE'S REALITIES 37 

Let us each have patience then, 
Wait and work for what is true. 

What is good belongs to men, 
It's needed by me and you. 

What we need is sure to come. 

That's why in the world we are; 
May retard its coming some. 

We will get it, never fear. 

MISTAKES IN LIFE 

Why should man keep blundering on, 

Doing the harmful things? 
So slow to see the right from wrong, 

Can't see the harm he brings. 

You see he never lived before. 
Does not know what life means; 

We know he is good at the core. 
He's not bad as he seems. 

The bad he will do does him good, 

He will his lesson learn; 
From the dead past he learns he should, 

Make the good his concern. 

If his mind will grow big enough. 

To know his life's intent. 
He'll fall in line, to drop what's rough, 

To get the good that's meant. 

The world cannot a failure be. 

It to the best is bound; 
Its spirit the perfect would see, 

In man it must be found. 



38 LIFE'S REALITIES 

When he has evolved, that's the end; 

God has reached His intent. 
Man has to all become a friend, 

He knows what life has meant. 



WHY WE DIE 

What is it that takes man away. 
When he from earth does go? 

Will God not let him longer stay; 
Is it His will to show? 

This is a question to us deep. 
Because man's thoughts are slow; 

But not to know caused him to weep, 
But how was he to know? 

If you study the laws of nature, 

You'll find I think the cause; 
All does start and grow and mature, 

And then there comes a pause. 

Then back from whence they come they go, 

Go back to start anew ; 
You know this in plants to be so, 

In man it is also true. 

Accidents will often happen. 

Through ignorance of law; 
Disregard what law has shapen. 

Thus the penalty saw. 

Man was not in water to live, 
Nor the fish for the land; 



LIFE'S REALITIES 39 

The violation of either give, 
A change back to the sand. 

God does not cause you to be sick, 
There's a way you must choose; 

Clean up the city and the creek, 
If this life you wouldn't lose. 

There are many things more to know, 

If you ever mature; 
Learn what in life to you does show. 

You'll live longer, I'm sure. 

We will all die when we mature. 

It cannot be a thorn; 
It's the law we find in nature, 

Under it we were born. 

This law we know of love must be. 

Every law must be His; 
Life and death are in all we see, 

One and all it should please. 



THE SOUL IS SPIRIT GOD 

God is spirit, God is love, 

Then he's not a person; 
Broods like, but is not a dove. 

Can't you use your reason? 

It is the force in nature. 
That pushes things along; 

Through it the mind does mature, 
To see the thing that's wrong. 



40 LIFE'S REALITIES 

Our religion is of the earth, 
By a law it did come; 

Life itself gave it, its births, 
The best we should welcome. 

It is of God none the less, 
His is the earth and sky ; 

Grows in all and us impress. 
To choovse the way that's high. 

We catch all of heaven. 
If we decide to grow, 

In harmony with what's given. 
To let us feel and know. 

Then it's not a place to go, 
But something to become; 

Allow the spirit to grow, 
Within you, gi^•e it room. 

A new creature you will be. 
In love and kindness dwell. 

The good in all you will see. 
Of it only will tell. 

When at last our work is done, 
In life we are no more; 

AVe will not be left alone, 
There will be as before. 

When born we agreed to die. 
Through the law, this we see; 

Should not fear or even sigh. 
That's the wav it should be. 



LIFE'S REALITIES 41 

You get it all by giving 

To others what is best; 
For others to be living, 

Heaven in you will rest. 



THE FORKED PATH 

From kind hearts come forth kind deeds, 
From bad hearts hate and shame, 

One from loving all proceeds, 
The other is a flame. 

The one is the spirit's fruit. 

Produced by living right, 
The other is of the brute, 

That rules us with its might. 

The one is what Christ did bring, 

God's life to place w^ithin, 
The other a material thing, 

All marred and scratched with sin. 

It is a habit we must get. 

The purest life to lead; 
Race to run, ideals to set, 

To sow the perfect seed. 



THE GUIDING STAR 

Grace we get by doing good. 
The good we do adds grace, 

If we but do the deed we should, 
We will win in the race. 



42 LIFE'S REALITIES 

The Great Love that keeps us all, 
Will us forever keep, 

And we shall not fear when the call, 
Shall come from out the deep. 

The Tightness of natural law, 
We do not now behold, 

If we but see as Christ saw^, 
We will be strong and bold. 

Then let us think more on Him, 
And what His burden was, 

Of how he tried us to win, 
The latent love arouse. 



QUESTIONS 

Man's curiosity will give 
When he pushes it too far. 

Trouble as to how he should live. 
Of what in life he should care. 

He wonders what the soul may be; 

Its weight, its size, its nature, 
When he is dead where it will flee, 

How to save it to make sure. 

He thinks of those who have died. 
How their souls may be employed, 

What's their interest on this side, 
Can their presence be enjoyed? 

That you should bett€r understand, 
Think on the nature of man. 



LIFE'S REALITIES 43 

Get all knowledge at your command, 
Learn of this life all you can. 

The brain is found very complex, 
Yields many discordant sounds. 

From the body there's much reflex. 
With much wonder it abounds. 

So pinching it may show a ghost, 

And a clot some words to hear, 
Stimulate, bring an angel host. 

Depress a part, cause a fear. 

Much that happens and bewilders, 

Is from a brain distracted; 
If solid facts were the builders. 

Wild thoughts couldn't be contracted. 



IF CHRIST SHOULD COME 

If Christ came on earth today, 
And in a church be found. 

He would from the pulpit stay. 
With people stand around. 

But a few^ words spoken low, 
From the aisle it may be, 

How we were so very slow 
The better way to see. 

''You all seem self-centered, 
You are so far apart; 

Show to all love has entered, 
Should find each others heart. 



44 LIFE'S REALITIES 

You don't serve God by fearing, 

Nor by filling the pew, 
You do it best by rearing 

God's temple within you. 

Sit 3^ou down with your fellows, 
And tell them to be kind. 

If gentle ways he follows, 
Goodness will fill his mind. 

I can't say much more, my friends, 

A hint I only give. 
That you will all make amends; 

Teach others how to live." 

"It's an insult," some might say, 

After He disappeared, 
"Him to talk to us that way, 

God's the one to be feared. 

"Start up the organ, let us sing, 
I think we know what's best, 

Let our preacher to us bring, 
The truths in which we rest." 

When from church for home you leave, 
If Him you see you'll find, 

The misery trying to relieve. 
To right seeking to bind. 

Like him we should always do 
And we had better try it, 

To teach the things that are true 
And like Him to do it quiet. 



LIFE'S REALITIES 45 

WHAT LOVE WILL DO 

Love is like a mustard seed, 
That grows for birds to shelter; 

Small at first to meet the need, 
But grows on getting sweeter. 

Man may be unkind and rough. 

The little seed does not care; 
It's sure to grow big enough, 

To fill his life everywhere. 

If man would dare to start it, 

Of itself is sure to grow; 
In him may reach a limit. 

But his children more will show. 

Thus through ages keeps increasmg. 

Till many like Christ will come ; 
Thus will grow without ceasing. 

Till all will like Christ become. 

Earth will be heaven for all, 

We need not die there to go; 
There'll be no great nor small, 

Equality will be so. 

GROWING MAN 

When man began to use his brain. 

And dared to think things out, 
Better things he found to retain, 

The world was his, no doubt. 



46 LIFE'S REALITIES 

But when in him love did appear, 

He then started ahead; 
What he before did often fear, 

Love removed what he dread. 

First the body, also the brain. 

The mind did follow on; 
Love came along for these to train, 

That they might be as one. 

Man has never thought anything, 
That has not done him good; 

In its last analysis bring. 
To him a better mood. 

The fact that thoughts will save the man, 

If he'll keep the habit. 
Is the great original plan. 

Man was grown to have it. 

Good thought will displace the bad one. 
Just as sure as worlds grew; 

Sure as water down hill docs run 
Man is bound to get true. 

Love and thought do grow both the same, 
This is what they must do, 

The law of life does so proclaim, 
I'm sure you'll find it true. 

To begin his thinking, help man. 
Don't lead him, think with him; 

Don't be final with what you plan. 
But grow along with him. 



LIFE'S REALITIES 47 

If we are set in what we say, 

We hurt the noble plan; 
Generations may pass away 

Tore he's a growing man. 

We should all be open and free, 

The spirit Good to find; 
Live by it, and we will soon see. 

The world to us is kind. 



LOVE WILL CONQUER 

Do you think the world is getting worse? 

Do you feel that good will lose out? 
Are there too many things that will curse? 

Not enough to bring good about? 

From your standpoint things may look that way, 
Are you sure your outlook is clear? 

Are your conclusions what others say, 
Or do your ideas come from fear? 

If you only knew love's great power. 

The tremendous force of good; 
Clouds when they pass, that o'er you lower, 

You will see better what you should. 

Jesus knew good and also the man, 

He had the greatest faith in each ; 
He saw in all an eternal plan. 

That goodness was for man to reach. 

He felt sure the time would surely come, 
When you could not say, "Know the Lord," 



48 LIFE'S REALITIES 

For all would know Him under the sun, 
All be thinking in one accord. 

Be not dismayed, the world grew for man, 
That he might grow up out of it, 

With a brain and a mind that would plan. 
To grow a soul, that God would fit. 

God is differently manifested, 

In the stars, rocks, animals and plants, 

In everything he is interested, 
But as a soul, the rest supplants. 

The laws of nature and of heaven 
Will work it all forever true; 

In everything the laws have given, 
Culminates to bring good to you. 



THE SOUL IS GOD 

We often ask why we are here, 
Why in this life have we to grow? 

This has never been very clear. 
But isn't it right for us to know? 

I don't see why we should not know, 
It is a problem for our thought; 

Surely there is no harm to show, 
An interest in what is sought. 

Many try of it to explain, 

But they always seem to fall short; 
There's a thought lurking in our brain, 

That it is not a full report. 



LIFE'S REALITIES 49 

We should become like as a child, 

Be free to get the right idea; 
Throw aside things that have beguiled, 

And have within an honest plea. 

We might see in it all a plan, 

That the Spirit had an intent, 
On growing worlds to grow a man. 

That would have a soul by consent. 

This spirit wants to be expressed. 

In a higher form than to grow ; 
So it, a man did grow possessed, 

A willingness for soul to show. 

This spirit good, this soul must be. 
In highest form it's God expressed. 

So man lets God himself to see. 
It's God finding a place to rest. 

This clears up all your troubles, 
All your myths and worries will go, 

You'll stop chasing after bubbles. 
Allow God as soul through you show. 

Let the kingdom of heaven come, 
Within you, to give rest and peace; 

The eternal in you welcome, 
All of your worries then will cease. 



SOUL LIFE 

Man's body will cease to grow. 
His mind should not ever; 



50 LIFE'S REALITIES 

We may neglect body so, 
The mind cannot discover. 

The mind was ordained to be, 
For it the worlds are here; 

Growth the mind will also see. 
Through it our souls appear. 

Of self the little mind thinks. 
The greatest of others; 

The good for self, he thus sinks, 
To love all his brothers. 

That's the highest he can get. 
With spirit good he's filled; 

Become for what all is set. 
To God he's reconciled. 

He serves God by being right, 
God has reached His intent; 

He is to God ears and sight. 
He's all that Good has meant. 

God can ever through him see. 

Suffering to relieve; 
Can hear the sorrows that be. 

Through him comfort will give. 

Through Him all things we can do, 
Through us He works for man; 

We are co-workers if true. 
Become what God began. 

Man's highest self is spirit, 
To live it is his joy; 



LIFE'S REALITIES 51 

All of it did inherit, 

Through what spirit employ. 

In this world or the other, 

He is forever placed; 
Will have nothing to bother, 

Be eternally blessed. 

Be wherever God may be, 

Do whatever God does. 
The best in His realm see, 

Be what God for him chose, 



PREDESTINATION 

Is there a predestination? 

Is any part of it true? 
Can man be saved through an election? 

What have we with it to do? 

If God is person with a will 

And very set in His way, 
Has mansions for us to fill. 

To them some thought we might pay. 

If God is love, love is spirit, 

Thus is in and over all; 
Like as a child we must see it, 

Grow to the large through the small. 

The big idea has bothered man 
When truth was nearer at hand, 

This universal will in plan, 
Man could never understand. 



52 LIFE'S REALITIES 

A will without a human form, 

A spirit without body, 
Was what we held up for his scorn, 

But did not teach anybody. 

But as man grew he came to see. 
This great will a loving one, 

The universe its body be. 
In kindness all will be done. 

You can hold to your old ideas, 
You will find they will not do; 

When man gets mind, you can't him please 
With the God he gets from you. 

You talk of the God of scripture. 
As if that would settle all; 

They didn't agree on his picture. 
How did you choose from them all? 

The Bible's God, can you not see. 
Was a-growing all the time, 

As man, a little wiser be; 
This truth alone is sublime. 

Some thought a king or judge to be, 
As Father, as spirit some. 

Some thought Him one and others three, 
To what idea can you come? 

Love gave you life, also a brain. 
And put your feet on the ground; 

If you through love, love's lesson gain. 
Study Him from earth where He's found. 



LIFE'S REALITIES 53 

To find Him keep out of the sky, 
Look out for those who learned there; 

You'll find He's not hid if you try, 
He's close to you everywhere. 

Love is for all of creation, 

It's in everything you see; 
Higher in acts than formation, 

It as soul in man to be. 

Do not blame man you see too much, 
Numbers of Gods besides yours; 

God as spirit love, think Him such. 
It's a better God than yours. 

This universe will become love. 

Love will absorb everything; 
Heaven will be below, above. 

Its ruler is more than a king. 



WHAT IS HEAVEN, WHAT IS HELL? 

We have our heaven here, 

And also our hell. 
I have heard you declare: 

It sounds pretty well. 

Yet I often wonder, 

Do you really know? 
Mistake are you under. 

Or can it be so? 

How did you come to see? 
0, I think I know; 



54 LIFE'S REALITIES 

Kindness twixt you and me, 
To you it did show. 

I think you must be right, 
That heaven or hell, 

A condition to sight, 
How we are to dwell. 

If we always think hell, 
Hell is what we'll get; 

If of heaven we tell, 
The good we will net. 

If we die in heaven, 
In heaven we'll be; 

If for hell we've striven, 
It's hell we will see. 

It is life that will tell. 
It's what you've become; 

We will all have to dwell. 
Where we feel at home. 

Sure keep up what you say, 
Only feel it more; 

And live in the best way, 
You will have it sure. 

What happiness to tell. 
To your friends around. 

That you dropped all of hell, 
Now in peace abound. 

Keep your life always pure, 
Radiate it out; 



LIFE'S REALITIES 55 

Then we all will be sure, 
You've brought it about. 



MISUNDERSTANDING GOD 

Men of old, we are glad you wrote, 
What you thought we like to know; 

In those ages so far remote, 
Like letters mailed long ago. 

We would an answer like to send. 
Get a note that you just penned; 

You were closer to nature then, 
We are at the other end. 

Maybe we could get together, 
Help each other things to know; 

That seem now to many bother, 
We might find out what is so. 

Of course we know you disagreed; 

Sacrifice some would offer, 
Of its good others could not see. 

And with it would not bother. 

Moses thought that murder was wrong; 

God told Joshua that to do; 
God backed the Jews' wars very strong, 

Their enemies did subdue. 

What we really would like to know, 
How you figured these things out; 

Was it God that changed as you show, 
Did man the change bring about? 



56 LIFE'S REALITIES 

Your God never changes, you say, 
Same today and forever; 

Loves everyone in every way, 
Just alike, changes never. 

Then all the Jews His people were, 
Didn't care for any other; 

Told them the Canaanites to slur. 
Not treat them as a brother. 

Was it not that each had ideas, 
That made you differ in thought? 

Some did love, some did as they please, 
And thus to us confusion brought. 

I am sure we the truth can get, 
By finding which worked the best; 

When what you did left no regret, 
With peace and love all did bless. 

Anything that drives men apart. 
When it happened no matter; 

Must be a wrong thing to start, 
Love unites, does not scatter. 

Love God and also your neighbor, 
Best for you as well as us; 

Get together, we should labor. 
Then every one will be blessed. 

I think when Jesus studied you 
He sized you up all O.K. 

Only when you to all were true, 
Were you walking in God's way. 



LIFE'S REALITIES 57 

STOP ERRING 

Of course, lying will stop, 

When man gets his head; 
Other wrongs he will drop, 

Get the good instead. 

Man hasn't yet used his mind, 

Didn't know he had one; 
Trusted others to find 

Out what should be done. 

But the mind is growing, 

He'll soon better see. 
Not for wrong be showing, 

Prize the right, to be. 

Do you think he'll be small. 

When he knows the great? 
Do you think love for all 

He would desecrate? 

He the truth will soon know. 

Begin to live it. 
When he knows what is so, 

He will then be it. 

PRAYER 

Prayer is breathing out from love, 

Shows where love does reside; 
It's a longing for more love, 

And sets all else aside. 



58 LIFE'S REALITIES 

Prayer is ever born of love, 

A sigh for purity ; 
It's love seeking others' love, 

Removes obscurity. 

Prayer is God wishing for more 
Hearts for Him to control; 

It's the soul's life, expression. 
Shows within there's a soul. 

It's not to get anything; 

Shows a soul is growing; 
A-reaching out to increase. 

Tries to make a showing. 

It is the soul's vital breath, 
A longing to be pure ; 

Senses what is right beneath, 
Trying that to procure. 

It's in words but more in deeds, 
Through which it is expressed; 

But all the scattered love seeds, 
Show by whom it's possessed. 



CLINGING TO THE OLD 

Man has brought out of the long ago, 

Many superstitious ideas; 
Devil's pranks, divining rods did know, 

Had myths, ghosts and charms to please. 

He is very slow his shams to drop, 
And slow his errors to correct; 



LIFE'S REALITIES 69 

Some leaders his shams did strongly prop, 
And in his wrongs saw no defect. 

He did believe the fables of old, 

The stories and wonders were true; 
Thought because by some great man was told, 

What they believed he believed, too. 

He was like a sheep that's always dumb, 
Let the shearers have all the wool; 

That he should of brains ever have some, 
Didn't find out 'til he went to school. 

This was kept from him for many years, 

That he might better be controlled; 
This is the reason we have wars, 

'Cause man by leaders has been fooled. 

The time is coming and soon will be, 
When peace on earth, good will to men, 

Will be the rule for you and for me. 
Man has brains; he'll dare to use them. 

Surely for this love did the world grow, 

Men will yet get to be brothers; 
Get the faith that Jesus tried to show, 

Live it by doing for others. 



GOD'S LOVE 

You with God can't get in wrong, 
It's you yourself you hurt; 

Living the weak and not the strong. 
Grovelling in the dirt. 



60 LIFE'S REALITIES 

Have you never heard the law? 

We're creatures of habit; 
In others you pick a flaw, 

You the bad, sure shall get. 

Get the habit to be kind, 

Get the honest habit; 
All the good in others find. 

And speak of only it. 

Drop the habit that is bad. 
That keeps you like the brute. 

Drive from others what is sad, 
Then you'll bear proper fruit. 

It's a habit that you walk, 

Your belief is habit; 
It's a habit that you talk, 

It's law; can't you see it? 

But whose law is this we see? 

It is nature's you say; 
And nature's laws God's must be, 

For it is all His way. 

The amount of love you hold. 

Shows what stage you have reached. 

Laws of love will you enfold, 
To you more love will teach. 

Lesser to the greater grow. 

From earth through plant to man, 

Where God at His highest show, 
Being a soul in man. 



LIFE'S REALITIES 61 

God's that law, for it's spirit. 

He is the plan also; 
No one should ever fear it, 

Learn in it, how to grow. 

Christ of love did strongly preach, 

The cross they forced him on. 
But even there it did teach, 

I forgive every one. 



PRAISING GOD 

Really, now, do you not feel and think,' 
That God would be pretty small. 

Destroy forty-two thoughtless children, 
Send two bears to eat them all? 

Do you think two bears could eat that much? 

And where does God's mercy show; 
When Baalam's ass did talk to him. 

How came it so much to know? 

The animals going in the ark, 
Went two by two, we are told; 

God destroyed nearly all of mankind, 
Get on him a better hold. 

Tricked Adam and Eve in the garden, 
Through snake walking on his tail; 

Took Elijah up in a fiery car, 
Did His people often fail? 

Can't you see you have a scheming God? 
Not a God that's fast and true; 



62 LIFE'S REALITIES 

You think He had to punish all men, 
That's why fear you have in you. 

These are but little stories men told, 
To show what of God they knew; 

Tells more of what they were than of God, 
What they did, thought God would do. 

Christ gave us a much better idea, 

That God a father must be ; 
Not a ruler with bloody intent, 

Through love controls you and me. 

The old idea made man harsh and cruel, 
He thought that of God, you see; 

In studying all the hearts of the past, 
Jesus found Him love to be. 

It wasn't their thought nor is it yours, 
That can make God cruel to be; 

Get this into your head right away, 
How we think makes you and me. 

You think of love and think of the good, 

Get within purity of heart; 
Get the habit of thinking kind thoughts. 

With a better God you'll start. 

We arc spiteful, harsh, cruel and tricky, 
Because we think God was so; 

Think God is love, spirit and merciful, 
That's the God you want to know. 

After Christ died apostles were confused, 
They, you see, confused us, too; 



LIFE'S REALITIES 63 

Some taught love, some rules, some deeds, some 
faith. 
So what are we then to do? 

Do like Christ — study the heart of things, 
Through this you'll know what is true; 

You will find, just as true as you live. 
Truth is love for me and you. 

Anything that brings us together, 

Grows in us a love for man; 
Is right now and always must have been. 

You see it must be His plan. 

Down through the ages it has come through, 

Man may try to keep it back. 
This thought has been growing right along, 

Man will soon get on its track. 

Then he will know why God grew the world, 

That as soul in man might grow ; 
That God a higher self manifests, 

In the heart of man to show. 



EYES TO SEE, BUT SEE NOT 

You've eyes and ears to see and hear, 
But with them you don't perceive; 

Your thoughts, you see, are never clear, 
What others tell, you believe. 

You're not a brute, you have a mind; 
The brute is trained to obey: 



64 LIFE'S REALITIES 

Be not like him and you will find, 
Better things to do and say. 

Arouse yourself, begin to live, 
Understand you are a man; 

Free to think and be free to give 
Your thoughts to what others plan. 

You can never know what is right, 
'Till you study all you can; 

Thus you will improve your sight. 
And become a thinking man. 

Study all life that is at hand. 

Find out what they need the most; 

Use all the facts at your command, 
You will soon know what to trust. 

One thing I think you're sure to see. 
That man likes a trusting friend; 

If he is true he will ever be 
The same to him without end. 

This is a fact that Jesus taught, 
That we must love our neighbor; 

He, like you, ever for it sought. 
Learned it all from his brother. 

You thus get a line on Christ's aims. 
As to what we're living for; 

You will know what He proclaims. 
Truth you get through your neighbor. 

Heaven in you is born the day 
You start to love and labor. 



LIFE'S REALITIES 65 

To do for all in every way, 
To bring love to your neighbor. 

You see that brings heaven to all, 

We can never go to hell; 
With our neighbor we stand or fall, 

Get the heaven, Christ did tell. 



AWAITING THE SPIRIT TO SEE 

How can I make it clear to you, 
That you must love become? 

You say that God has that to do, 
But you can help him some. 

Now you are right, of course you are, 
And God is first to know; 

If God is love, is it not fair. 
That love is God also? 

Now if Love is God as we say. 
And love works within you; 

Is it not God's very best way. 
To grow you to be true? 

Can't you see the nature of love, 
Like yeast hidden in meal? 

Works away and within you strove, 
'Til all of love you feel. 

Then you won't love all this or that, 
Some more and others less ; 

You will find nothing to combat. 
But love in all confess. 



66 LIFE'S REALITIES 

Love or God has done the work then, 
With your will allowed it; 

You obtain what you long for when 
Self does not deter it. 

Do not love God, but become it, 
Get Adam out of you; 

New creature be, as Christ saw it, 
Like He was, you be too. 

That a new life you'll get is true, 
But it you didn't merit; 

It was the Spirit God in you. 
Then you tried to share it. 

The reason you cannot see this, 
'Cause you spirit don't know; 

A local God working for bliss, 
Can't you see that isn't so. 

Your belief may this door open. 
Love you want is inside; 

In time it will truly ripen, 
Then in there can abide. 

Will have to wait for you to grow, 
'Til you Spirit conceive; 

It's in the world to you to show, 
You can't see, so believe. 



THE CHURCH 

The spirit love long years ago, 
Moved in man a church to form; 



LIFE'S REALITIES 67 

As a place in which all might grow, 
To bring about their reform. 

After a long time filled with fear, 

They tried to live up to law; 
But it did not to them appear, 

To correct the faults they saw. 

The church followed tribal mix-up, 

To sacrifice began; 
This could not last, it was corrupt. 

So others tried to plan. 

It did not seem to make man pure, 
Christ and Isaiah thought it wrong; 

For a better way to procure, 
Jesus studied hard and long. 

Thinking over what man had done, 

And what his efforts had been, 
If man would but love every one, 

It would be a better scheme. 

The church could not catch Christ's idea, 

But some men another time 
Did get a faint glimpse of his plea. 

Started out to copy them. 

It has been added to and changed, 

As mankind had larger views, 
But nothing yet has been arranged, 

To be better than the pews. 

The idea was right, as it brings 
All the people together; 



68 LIFE'S REALITIES 

What one reads and another sings, 
Binds each one to the other. 

As it has grown, it should yet grow, 
Use the growing thought of man ; 

The creative spirit will show, 
How man fits into His plan. 

How patiently this spirit waits. 
For man so slowly to grow; 

It plans in man to open gates, 
Leads him a better to show. 

Why of the church do you complain? 

Do your best, help it along; 
And you had better it retain, 

In it correct what is wrong. 

If you should be given poor food. 
Would you dare wreck the table? 

Better change the poor to the good, 
Save as much as you're able. 

The church has fed, to all belief. 
But now we can see farther; 

No doubt was well, it gave relief — 
Not less, but more have rather. 

Jesus was much misunderstood, 
Man's mind was as yet too small; 

He would not change to get the good, 
Preferred the old way for all. 

What Jesus said teaches to be. 
Be all that we do believe; 



LIFE'S REALITIES 69 

Translate it into life you see, 
Become all that you conceive. 

In many things we're jumbled up, 

Keep trying hard for the right; 
The spirit love will clear it up. 

Live your belief, is in sight. 



THE WORD WAS GOD 

God is love, God is the word. 
Then the word God must be; 

God is spirit, you have heard. 
Word is spirit to see. 

God, love and spirit, you see, 
Must be one and the same; 

Grew the world for us to be. 
Through it we also came. 

By it all things were started, 

It in Jesus was found; 
He from the brute was parted, 

Had ideas that were sound. 

Science calls it affinity, 

Jesus knew it as love; 
John thought it the word must be, 

Paul the spirit above. 

It is at work, we see it, 
In the world and in man; 

It grows everything to fit, 
Into what seems a plan. 



70 LIFE'S REALITIES 

You can get it, think it out; 

Like Jesus teach others; 
Bring love and kindness about, 

So all will be brothers. 

Then we'll be the salt of earth, 
And all will live in peace; 

And all will have the new birth, 
Our troubles then will cease. 

Will live in a world of peace, 
Jesus will be here, too. 

His spirit he did release. 
To show us what is true. 

Then we should all follow Him, 
Get this loving spirit; 

Get in harmony with Him, 
Then love you will merit. 

Don't be satisfied with form. 
Nor with it try to play; 

Be it, and to it conform. 
Live in it every day. 



THROUGH SACRIFICE AND BELIEF TO LOVE 

When man's mind was very small. 
He worshiped God through his deeds; 

Sacrifice was made by all, 
That then seemed to fill their needs. 

Then when he more mind did show; 
Belief was what he needed; 



LIFE'S REALITIES 71 

From it he must also grow, 
If Christ's ideas are conceded. 

Belief can't be omitted, 

Neither sacrifice left out; 
To both we are committed, 

But more spirit bring about. 

Man conceives God now as love, 

Sacrifice to believe it; 
More of this love he would have, 

Gets ready to receive it. 

Through sacrifice and belief, 

He is born to God anew; 
And he finds to his relief 

All evil love does subdue. 

All this he learned from Jesus, 

That's how it came in his head. 
Through mind his heart it pleases, 

Soon by love he will be led. 

When he by love is controlled, 

He is beyond sacrifice; 
His belief he will unfold, 

He lives now but for service. 

Loves his enemies one and all, 

Only the good wants to see; 
Sees no great or any small. 

He like Jesus now must be. 

God now within him does live, 
God through him is manifest ; 



72 LIFE'S REALITIES 

To all that needs he will give, 

All through him will now be blest. 

Heir of God, joint heir with Christ, 
Way beyond to think of hate; 

Bring to all what is just, 
God as love does regulate. 

Belief did sacrifice change, 

Believe the good, give up the bad; 

Take now what love will arrange, 
Evermore will we be glad. 



BE HAPPY 

The greater study for man is man. 
Where he goes, from whence he came; 

And tell why he is here if you can. 
What makes life so worrisome. 

What seems to be right is often wrong, 
Why can't we always be right? 

Why cannot we be pleased all along? 
Why for ourselves do we fight? 

It's because we have the wrong idea. 
We don't know the way of life; 

I will take what comes should be our plea, 
And work it into our life. 

In weather, your business or your play, 
What you cannot change enjoy; 

To grumble and fret is not the way. 
Your heavenly time to employ. 



LIFE'S REALITIES 73 

Every way is sure to be God's way, 

All works together for good; 
What may seem bad for you today, 

May help more than what you would. 

Then do not be distressed with a hope. 

That shows you don't like it all; 
You cannot be happy while you mope, 

Be happy and take it all. 

SOCIAL SYMPATHY 

Like the body mankind should be. 

All fitly joined together; 
If in a part distress we see, 

Unite to help each other. 

Every organ of the body, 

Depends upon another; 
Each unite with everybody; 

Harm to one hurts the other. 

You'll find what Paul said to be true, 

It a good lesson does teach ; 
All will feel more kindly to you, 

Your needs they will try to reach. 

How happy we would come to feel, 
If we were sure all would care; 

If their sympathy could be real, 
We with them all burdens share. 

All our blundering then should cease, 

Get the simple Gospel true; 
The brut€ in us we will release, 

Heaven's kingdom comes in you. 



74 LIFE'S REALITIES 

THE OLD WAY 

WORK THE GAME 

1 
Let God renew the life within you, 

Men live in sin, God cleans it out. 
Trust Him strong; in time if you are true, 

He'll bring the good in you about. 

3 

The Bible contains inspired books, 
God gave ideas, man did the work; 

Logic is, no odds how strange it looks, 
Believe in it, God hates a shirk. 

Gabriel will blow on the Judgment Day, 
The good and bad will all be stamped; 

The world will all burn and pass away. 
Bless the good, bad to hell must tramp. 

7 

The kingdom of God is up above, 
Away beyond the starry sky; 

Can enjoy from earth if we Christ love, 
And go there as soon as we die. 

9 

Jesus brought down from Heaven His good, 

He was like God in every way ; 
No task for Him to do all he could. 

Knew cverj'thing and what to say. 
11 
God gives wisdom, regardless of Law, 

Gives grace in answer to our prayer, 
Christ presents you to God without flaw. 

For they both make you what you are. 

13 

When you get baptized you are God's child, 
And separated from the world; 

It is then you get your record filed. 
Into Heaven vou will be whirled. 



LIFE'S REALITIES 75 

THE NEW WAY 

PLAY THE GAME 

2 

Consider your ways, be wise must you, 
Love is the yeast, it must clean out; 

Put trust in love for man and live true. 
Brings love in him and you about. 

4 

Thoughts men had of God they put in books, 

Ideas learned in life while at work; 
We think on each, no odds how it looks. 

And choose the ones we dare not shirk. 

6 

Every day to each is Judgment Day ; 

The good life or bad does us stamp; 
Age comes to the world in Nature's way. 

Be what we are, no place to tramp. 

8 

God's kingdom is in us, not above, 

Gives us love for the starry sky; 
It's with our fellows we show Christ's love, 

We'll do the same after we die. 

10 

By studying man he learned of Heaven, 

To be like Christ, that is the way ; 
Thought on life and prophets all he could, 

Found out what to do and to say. 

12 

Get wisdom and grace through Nature's laws, 
Find it and grow grace, not in prayer; 

Heaven-love within us heals the flaws, 
How you live makes you what you are. 

14 

No creed nor rules will make you God's child, 

Live kindly with all in the world; 
Let gentleness be the record filed, 

Heaven will then to you be whirled. 



76 LIFE'S REALITIES 

THE OLD WAY 

WORK THE GAME 

15 

If you will come to Jesus today, 

And listen to His loving call, 
He will surely wash your sins away, 

All those you have through Adam's fall. 

17 

He gave up His life and shed His blood, 

For the eternal life to give. 
That you and all might plunge in the flood, 

Win all of heaven while you live. 

10 

So on the Cross He has paid it all, 
Of all that we to Christ did owe; 

Safely now upon Him we may call, 
To make our love for Him to grow. 

21 

A great sacrifice for sin He made. 
Because He died instead of you, 

All of your sins upon Him were laid, 
So that His God could love you, too. 

23 

God's justice demanded that Christ should die, 
You see there was no other way; 

Jesus gladly left His home on high, 
For He wished His Father to obey. 

25 

You'll go to heaven if you live right. 
You'll have reward for what you do; 

For the Cross you should be strong to fight, 
Then the devil cannot get you. 

27 

Heaven above you know is God's home, 
And in it He shall always dwell. 

He watches us all where'er we roam. 
Always fights the devil in Hell. 



LIFE'S REALITIES 77 

THE NEW WAY 

PLAY THE GAME 

16 

If you would be like Jesus today, 

For gentleness in you does He call, 
Drive out hate with love-thoughts right away, 

The brute in you is Adam's fall. 

18 

He gave up this life and shed His blood, 

His teachings to you he might give; 
That you might get the good in its flood, 

Have much of Heaven while you live. 

20 

Through choosing the Cross He told us all, 

What love we to our fellows owe. 
Our brother's longing for love does call. 

That we like him more kindness show. 

The sacrifice and the plea He made, 

Show His value of love in you; 
On mercy and love emphasis laid, 

God as love would be in us, too. 

84 

To show love justifies He did die, 
Man could not see it was that way; 

The kindly spirit was what was nigh, 
That's the God he wished to obey. 

26 

Get heaven within by living right, 

The kindly thing to say and do. 
The reward is love and not to fight, 

Let love drive the hell out of you. 

28 

It's within you God would have His home, 

As Christ He loves in you to dwell, 
Through loving deeds He would have us roEim, 

Gentleness keeps us out of hell. 



78 LIFE'S REALITIES 

THE OLD WAY 

WORK THE GAME 

29 

Some think God rules ever like a king; 
He will consider if you pray ; 
- To His own, good he will always bring, 
If they believe all that they say. 

31 

Heaven is a place for all the good, 
Hell is where the wicked shall go; 

God acts like any other man would, 
Devil gets those that Christ don't know. 

33 

God does love direct, and mercy show. 
Rules, hates and changes by request; 

Kills, corrects, destroys, sends men below, 
He is God, Holy Ghost and Christ. 

36 

By your praying you can make Him change, 
If you get many to help you; 

If in hate a war you do arrange, 
Helps the side that to Him is true. 

37 

Six thousand years ago God made the earth, 
Six days later he made the man. 

The days between gave all things a birth, 
Weeks after from rib made woman. 

39 

Christ was God's only begotten son, 
For a mother He chose Mary; 

That a ransom thus might be begun. 
That all our sins He might carry. 



LIFE'S REALITIES 79 

THE NEW WAY 

PLAY THE GAME 

30 

Love is God within, and more than king, 

It answers all before we pray, 
It the good in us will always bring, 

Things in kindness to do and say. 

33 

Heaven is harmony with the good. 

And hell is how the wicked go; 
God is good motive, have it we should, 

The devil is the hate men show. 

34 

God is all we think of good to show. 

All loving natures His request; 
All laws of love are His here below. 

Love is God, Holy Ghost and Christ. 

36 

God is steadfast, you must make the change, 

Get the habit of good in you; 
Love never for you will war arrange; 

There can't be fights where all are true. 

38 

God makes nothing, to grow caused the earth, 
Million years, growing all, and men. 

Men and women and all were cell born; 
God, cells grow and form through woman. 

40 

All that gets Christ's love within His son. 

All that lives it out is a Mary. 
All love is learned, to live it He begun, 

Love for us the Christ did carry. 



90 LIFE'S REALITIES 

REST IN GOD 

There is a law that giveth life, 
There is a law to death does lead ; 

You can know each by living life, 
Sow good and not the evil seed. 

If you fight against nature's law. 
It will break you as sure as fate; 

If you study the wrong you saw, 
You'll find better to compensate. 

What a quiet world we are in, 
Nothing to order or correct; 

Goes right along without a din. 
Nothing to change or to direct. 

How peaceful this to contemplate. 
All is well, everything is fit; 

We must ourselves but regulate, 
Must get in harmony with it. 

Get in harmony with the good, 
Learn the lesson life has given; 

Seek the narrow way as you should, 
Peace in life brings in you heaven. 

You have nothing to fear but self. 
Everything has been set for you; 

You are the home of God yourself, 
If you to His kingdom are true. 

THE PRODIGAL SON 
A good idea Jesus gave. 

Of what He thought of God ; 



LIFE'S REALITIES 81 

A father a calf did save, 
'Stead of using the rod. 

If this be a picture true, 

Of a prodigal son, 
Is it not then true to you, 

You start where he begun? 

What you have done does not count, 

Begin to love again; 
Love will all evil surmount, 

You the right can attain. 

Love has always fixed ideas, 

It can't be scared away; 
You can do the thing you please. 

Love waits another day. 

It is you that may keep hard. 

And keep it out of you; 
Many times may it discard, 

But love is always true. 

Use your head, think it over, 

I did enjoy my home; 
I'll arise and recover. 

What I lost, more will come. 

You see how love helps you out, 

Seventy times seven; 
Awaits you evil to rout, 

Tries not to get even. 

Love never angry will get, 
That's human through and through, 



82 LIFE'S REALITIES 

Never will have a regret, 
Patiently waits for you. 

Get all the hate out of you, 
Love your enemies, too; 

This is the way to be true. 
All this Jesus did do. 

Never doubt this truth of love, 
It grew the worlds for you; 

The earth beneath, stars above 
All grew to bring you true. 



POWER OF LOVE 

Man, to God has been unjust. 
Thought Him fickle and scornful; 

God as love he did not trust, 
Thought Him to be revengeful. 

This does not God at all hurt. 
Love lingers even in brute; 

With patience waits to assert, 
To bring forth the kindly fruit. 

How man could even suspect. 
It ever was God's delight. 

To punish to bring respect. 

And have man for Him to fight, 

Is way beyond love's idea, 

Which does influence through love; 
Lead kindly light, is its plea, 

That wins the love we will have. 



LIFE'S REALITIES 83 

God did not have Jesus killed, 

Brute in man led Him to that; 
He was with love's kindness filled, 

Man had no regard for that. 

Sacrifice in church by man. 

Was not the one He wanted; 
Sacrifice for love in man, 

The one on which He counted. 

It's a good thing God is love, 
Love can bear man's ignorance; 

It is the nature of love. 
Wait to give another chance. 

The great force of love's power, 

Are you able to conceive? 
Works all higher and lower, 

To soften them to receive. 

It will soften man in prayer. 
Yes, much more than even that; 

All in the world everywhere, 
Will soften through its contact. 

Love will fill the universe, 

Then all of it be heaven; 
Love will conquer and reverse, 

All hate that man has given. 



CRITICIZING INFIDELS 

No one would dare say God is not, 
Better say God is all there is ; 



84 LIFE'S REALITIES 

He's in ever>'thing that is wrought, 
And everything that grows is His. 

I think we mean man does not know, 
Has misunderstood all His ways; 

There is no God, may only show 
A disbelief in what man says. 

He's been so misrepresented, 

Man cannot believe all that's said; 

Has thought and become contented. 
Without believing all he read. 

If you stick to your staid idea, 
And not allow a man to grow; 

You'll in all an infidel see, 
Also believe it to be so. 

You stay back but he will grow on. 
He adds life to what you believe; 

Sees Spirit and not a person. 
Tries within all love to receive. 

When to belief he love did add, 
A different God he did see; 

Not a one that will keep you sad, 
But with Him he will happy be. 

He has now no longer a fear, 
Becomes in harmony with Him; 

He knows his God is ever near. 
Helps and loves all mankind through 
him. 



LIFE'S REALITIES 85 

He's the image of God or good, 
Then peace and love will fill his 
heart, 

In all mankind look for the good, 
To grumble he will never start. 

It's the ignorant that grumble. 
Finds a fault in what others do; 

It is natural to stumble, 
Shows you are growing to what's true. 

If we are right we speak the good. 

Never find fault in any way; 
Displace evil with what is good, 

Do more good and have less to say. 

CHRISTIAN FRUIT 

From thorns you cannot get grapes, 

On thistles you find no figs; 
You think kindness in you shapes, 

When you're selfish ixs the pigs. 

You must get behind your deeds. 

Then do your best to be true ; 
Give your brother what he needs, 

Then goodness will grow in you. 

If your deeds won't stand the light, 

You are wrong as true as fate; 
Do all things that's fair and right, 

Then your heart will lose its hate. 

There's no other way to good, 
No other way to be pure, 



LIFE'S REALITIES 

But to do the things we should, 
Brings heaven in us for sure. 

Don't trick self and make believe, 

Have to be it every time; 
You of the good would receive, 

You had better start to climb. 

Your soul you will have to grow. 

You get it no other way ; 
The fruit you bear will all show, 

Whether you have what you say. 

Love, kindness, hope is the fioiit. 
That should grow always from you, 

If you've discarded the brute 
And decided to live true. 

By their works always know them, 
If heaven within does grow; 

Then onward growth you can't stem. 
And the fruit is bound to show. 

You cannot a thistle be. 
If there are figs to be seen. 

They are from you all will see, 
When you say the words you mean. 

True hearts give out kindly thoughts; 

Evil hearts give out the bad; 
When all of your fruit is brought. 

We will be sorry or glad. 



LIFE'S REALITIES 87 

ABSURDITY IN BELIEF 

God was very sad one day, 

He had it in for man; 
He could see no other way, 

To destroy He did plan. 

His son saw something was up. 

And this to Him did say ; 
Man being very corrupt, 

Let me his errors pay. 

Thus your justice satisfy, 

And be saved will all men; 
Your greatness will magnify. 

Send me to die for them. 

God did love the people so, 

And His Son none the less; 
He declared that he could go. 

All mankind, Him would bless. 

He came down and worried man, 

Way they tried God to serve; 
Said they had the poorest plan, 

Was too old to preserve. 

Robbed widows and were unkind, 
For pretense made long prayers; 

Churches full of thieves I find, 
You all to God are liars. 

Can't you see the Jewish trend, 

Love's the king you wanted ; 
For this spirit you contend, 

With God you'll be planted. 



88 LIFE'S REALITIES 

The love I have gix-e I you, 
Makes it the king to be; 

If you try j'ou can be true, 
My kingdom you will see. 

They wouldn't stand for His abuse, 
That word king, they feared it; 

For Him they had little use. 
He a death did merit. 

So God's plan was carried out. 
But man did not know it; 

Salvation was brought about. 
It took time to show it. 

He died that we all might live. 

But yet we also die; 
His life for that death didn't give, 

Then where docs it apply? 

We were doomed by Clod to hell, 
Jesus did take our place; 

So that God could love us well, 
And all the human race. 

He in our place then does dwell, 
To keep us out did die; 

Can any one to us tell, 
How He's up in the sky? 

What humbug to think of God, 
Who is the spirit love, 

To force Him the way He trod. 
He might let God, us love. 



LIFE'S REALITIES 89 

God doesn't want us to love Him, 

But for us to be it; 
He with us and we with Him, 

All of love to merit. 



LOVING YOUR ENEMIES 

Love your enemy you must, 
Keep it in your mind; 

And they that are unjust, 
You'll have to be kind. 

Not all alike you say, 
Now who told you that? 

That is the Jesus way. 
His words you combat. 

You cannot classify. 

All means every one; 
If you'd like to reply. 

Say, Thy will be done. 

It's easy you will find. 
To do what Christ said; 

When all love fills your mind, 
Do not be misled. 

If you can't you're not right, 
You may become so; 

Keep the goal within sight, 
You more love will grow. 

Christ spoke no idle word, 
To guide us on earth; 



90 LIFE'S REALITIES 

He said nothing absurd, 
Said what love gave birth. 

What I wouldn't that I do, 
What I would do not; 

If I do what is true, 
I'll get where he got. 

If I run I will win, 
If I keep the track; 

Will love men filled with sin. 
Tried to hold me back. 

I will be filled with love. 
Have love for mankind; 

Wish all to be above. 
Littleness of mind. 

Different loves there may be, 
For family or truth; 

We love the good we see 
In all, man or youth. 



WHY FEAR GOOD 

God, spirit, word, Jesus and soul. 
Will always be man's best friend; 

With it he's pure, without it foul, 
And would with the brute contend. 

Why does man so fear to be good? 

It's the brute holding him back; 
Why doesn't he want the things he should? 

Because he the good does lack. 



LIFE'S REALITIES 91 

In him let the good get started, 

Then you will find it will grow ; 
From the brute he'll soon be parted, 

And more of the man will show. 

The process, of course, will be slow. 

Generations pass away; 
But he will ever upward grow, 

God as soul will in him stay. 

You see there is nothing to fear, 

Man is growing to his own; 
Grew the whole world for man to bear, 

That love at last man would crown. 

Then the brute in man will be freed. 

Will have within God as soul; 
No contention, but all agreed. 

Hold the good and lose the foul. 

We will not care whom we will love, 

We will be above a choice; 
Blind to the bad, raise good above, 

Serve through our deeds and our voice. 

We will have grown forever new, 

Will become what we should be; 
Love the many, also the few. 

Our God in all we will see. 

When we've no soul we see the bad, 

As a brute we like to live; 
When God comes in He makes us glad. 

What love we have that we give. 



92 LIFE'S REALITIES 

GOD IS SOUL 

Do you believe strong enough? 

That it will you transform ; 
Or by belief make a bluff, 

Which does less good than harm. 

In belief nothing omit, 
Christ and Him crucified; 

Believe enough to live it. 
The things for which he died. 

It's not how much we believe, 
But in what do we trust; 

The character we receive, 
Depends on what is just. 

Santa Claus to us was real, 
When we were but a child; 

W^hen older began to feel. 
Gift spirit should be styled. 

Thus we lost our Santa Claus, 
But had a better left; 

The spirit of giving chose, 
For one we were bereft. 

If you lose Jesus the man, 
Keep that for which he stood; 

As the real Christ was His plan, 
To bring to man the good. 

You believe he overcame. 
Saw His God everywhere; 



LIFE'S REALITIES 93 

Caught the meaning of His name, 
Then for it did declare. 

Grew in grace by living right, 

Studied hard to make sure; 
Received His grace by insight, 

In laws that made Him pure. 

Believe the spirit that grows, 

That is in everything; 
But the highest in man shows, 

For him a soul may bring. 

All creation was arranged, 

For soul a place that's best; 
It has grown and it has changed, 

That God as soul might rest. 



SALVATION 

Man doesn't choose God or God man, 

They both work together; 
It takes both to work the plan. 

One is worse than neither. 

A plan is something to do, 
With something to work on ; 

An intent to bring it through, 
Both have, in creation. 

Affinity gives action; 

Atoms seeking to find. 
With others satisfaction. 

And they together bind. 



94 LIFE'S REALITIES 

A plan we thus discover, 
As molecules are formed; 

We some knowledge uncover, 
Of their plans are informed. 

Magnetic action goes on. 
Molecules form a cell; 

These cells combine right along, 
And form the body well. 

If we only knew the cell. 
Its intent understood, 

Of its powers we could tell. 
Get the truth, all is good. 

Intent a spirit must be, 
A plan is nothing else; 

God is a spirit you see. 
Are any spirits false? 

The false you ever behold, 
Helps to bring all things true; 

Not evil as has been told, 

But grows to good through you. 

God didn't want to stay in stone, 
So the plan brains did grow; 

Nor is mind to be alone, 
Through it became a soul. 

The good in beast and in man. 
Is but the spirit's fruit; 

It's the same in nature's plan, 
In plant and in the brute. 



LIFE'S REALITIES 95 

The fruit contains all the seed, 

Seed starts over again ; 
The soul's fruit is a kind deed, 

Tries for others to gain. 



BEING TRUE, THE RIGHT PRAISE 

Does God plan to get applause? 
Do acts for our praise to cause; 

For our worship did He plan; 
Do His best to get us down? 

Then do what He could for man, 
That man might give Him a crown, 

Bring to Him eternal praise, 

Loud hosannas forever raise? 

In man would be very weak, 
Of such things for Him to speak; 

If for praise did always look, 
Want our applause all the time, 

Mighty things he undertook. 
That we would all fall in line; 

If him we would but worship, 

And acknowledge his lordship. 

All such men would idiots be. 
Simple or crazy you see; 

We would surely lock them up. 
Or would ignore what they say ; 

All such thoughts of God give up, 
Start to think a better way; 

In thoughts of Him give the good, 

Not the ones that are so crude. 



96 LIFE'S REALITIES 

If a man grows anything, 
It's for the good it will bring; 

He does not teach it to talk, 
Or his praises ever sing; 

He wants the seed and the stalk, 
Some help and comfort to bring, 

The results for which he planned 

Be the praise he will command. 

If we are to humble be, 
God is that way too, you see; 

He wants us with Him to walk. 
And He will walk with us, too; 

He delights with us to talk, 
Through life to find what is true; 

Grew all, this to bring about, 

This thought is ours to work out. 

It was the littleness in man, 
That the other way did plan; 

But God kept on man to grow. 
That he might the better see; 

Learn through living what is so, 
And like God to always be; 

God is love, does love us, too, 

You must get this love in you. 

Nothing shows how man is wrong, 
Shows his weakness right along; 

As the idea he has held. 
That God has character so small. 

If wc didn't sing loud and well, 
Tell how good He is to all. 

Strive by this with Him to dwell. 

He would send us all to hell. 



LIFE'S REALITIES V! 

TRUTH 

There appears through the ages, 
Something that seems hard to find, 

The prophets and the sages, 
Have all tried it to unbind. 

Jesus you know called it truth, 

Judas of it had a doubt; 
Some were fooled and some, forsooth. 

Did give their life to find out. 

It is called the highest aim, 
Others thought it must be bought. 

The cross, the death and its shame. 
And some good deeds to be wrought. 

Some very cruel it had made, 

Thus in the dark so to be. 
They could not tell light from shade, 

They were blind, they could not see. 

As time goes on it is sure, 

The real truth will get brighter. 
And as we become more pure, 

The darkness will get lighter. 

The truth is now quicker found. 
What men have said we may read; 

Places us on more solid ground, 
To find the truth that we need. 

History shows how different thought. 
When in life they have been tried. 



98 LIFE'S REALITIES 

What havoc by them was wrought, 
Peace with them did not abide. 

The real truth you can live out, 
Happiness will surely reign, 

Kindness will be all about, 
All will gentleness obtain. 

Then why should we hesitate. 
This truth to always proclaim, 

You see by discarding hate, 

Love God and neighbor the same. 

Claim your enemy for the right, 
Love him and one another, 

And keep your mind clear and bright, 
Love all men as your brother. 

No other truth you will find, 
Will work as well as this one; 

In love it will strongly bind. 
Good for all beneath the sun. 



GROWING A SOUL 

A child when born has body and brain, 

Of anything knows nothing; 
It soon begins itself to train, 

That it may soon learn something. 

When it smells, tastes, feels, hears and sees, 
Something of life starts to learn; 

And gets results from what he does, 
Through his efforts wisdom earns. 



LIFE'S REALITIES 99 

When he grows up a man to be, 

Will be what he learned through these; 

The best while growing he should see, 
Is not best himself to please. 

When he begins to share his toys, 

And tries his mother to please; 
It brings to him his greatest joys, 

He to do more good, will tease. 

And thus to grow a soul he starts. 

And in it finds his pleasure; 
The more he grows from more hate parts, 

Within has all his treasure. 

God he has within his being, 

The soul, is its other name; 
Good to others be sure to bring, 

And they a soul also gain. 

If he his soul does ever lose, 

To him alone will be lost; 
Gets it back by the good to choose, 

He'll prize it for what it cost. 

The little good you have inside, 

Start to grow it more today; 
Get the habit that will abide, 

Careful what you do and say. 

Grow like Jesus more every day. 

Study the things that he sought; 
You will get what you give away, 

Then radiate what Christ taught. 



100 LIFE'S REALITIES 

GROWING A SOUL 

You grow a soul by being kind, 
Kindness, God and love are one; 

You alone can lose it, you'll find, 
By hateful things you have done. 

You are the one that loses out, 
The comfort you had will cease, 

Until you turn your life about. 
Your miseries will increase. 

If a God man you want to be. 
And not like a brute to live. 

Give up hate for the good to see. 
Love through it to others give. 

The bent of soul is shown by deeds, 
Its influence will be its weight. 

Its nature is for kindness pleads, 
Its work is to drive out hate. 

It is not lost if you should die, 
It does not go anywhere, 

It is God here, and by and by, 
Always with Him right will share. 

Heaven is a condition, you see. 
And hell is always the same; 

It's the kindly person to be, 
You alone will have the blame. 

Your wonderings do I clear up? 
Can you not now see the facts? 



LIFE'S REALITIES 101 

Then you should pass the loving cup, 



'hen you should pass the loving ( 
Careful be in all your acts. 



THE LAW OF LIFE 

God does not make nor create, 
Everything through Him did grow, 

Then why should we hesitate, 
Or fear the whole truth to know? 

This world is his masterpiece, 
Grew as other worlds do now; 

On it life will never cease, 
Until old age marks its brow. 

'Tis the law of life you see. 
To become, grow old and die; 

The man, the rock and the tree, 
Under that same law does lie. 

God will not destroy the world. 

Nothing can ever be lost. 
Everything is backward whirled. 

That a better may be cast. 

It's love that grows everything, 
Love cannot itself displace; 

But perfection it will bring, 
To earth and the human race. 



MAN'S GROWTH 

A little germ is started on, 
A million of years ago; 



102 LIFE'S REALITIES 

It could increase and feed upon 
The things that around it grow. 

By inspiration or intent, 

This germ became two or three. 

Then more and more as on it went, 
Struggling forth a man to be. 

The world was new — with storms did shake- 
Sliding ice and boiling springs; 

Many a start he had to make 
Before his real life begins. 

From simple to a complex form, 

The ages on it did lead ; 
'Til man without a mind is born, 

Prey upon which beasts did feed. 

The struggle for life which he had. 
Led him to put forth his hand; 

And by using it he was led 
To a greater mind command. 

The first of men to have a mind. 

Was the Adam of his race; 
And woman was not far behind. 

She, like him, did trouble face. 

Then better minds to others came, 
As they lived wath the other. 

But their ideas were not the same. 
They did not know their brother. 

Thus Jesus found them in a mix, 
Some believing this and that; 



LIFE'S REALITIES 103 

He knew that such were only tricks, 
And the priests would get the fat. 

He set us free to think it out; 

We, like cells, keep together. 
Bring the heavenly times about. 

Getting close to your neighbor. 

From first to last this little cell 

Intended to be a man; 
But how he came in it to dwell 

We can't fully understand. 

For each cell always had the same. 

Whether it was flesh or grass. 
If we only knew it by name, 

Might it not be God to us? 



LAW OF LIFE 

There is a law that Jesus knew. 
And taught it in many ways; 

If you would your life renew, 
Then listen to what He says. 

Upon the waters cast your bread, 
You'll get it again some day; 

What you may have to others fed, 
You'll get in another way. 

He that among you would be great, 

Him to all a servant be; 
Think not of yourselves or of fate. 

Look for good then good you'll see. 



104 LIFE'S REALITIES 

If you should want the highest seat, 

Get it by taking the low. 
Your happiness will be complete, 

When you others mercy show. 

Jesus this law did not make true, 
It was true before He spake; 

It's true because it works in you, 
A better person to make. 

Jesus studied as we all should, 

To get all the true ideas, 
That would bring man the most of good, 

Helps him to see what He sees. 

Get the idea soon as you may. 

In life start to live it out; 
You will find it's the only way, 

To get life without a doubt. 



THE WRONG VIEWPOINT 

How odd it is that man always 
Gets the wrong notion first; 

And cannot see the better way 
Until he's tried the worst. 

Did Christ ask man to worship Him? 

Or the cross to adore? 
Even the words the truth was in, 

Weren't for the mind to store. 

And if you will but think it o'er, 
I'm quite sure you'll see. 



LIFE'S REALITIES 105 

That they were but a cover for 
The deeper things to be. 

Jesus, the cross, His life and words, 

Is the medium we use, 
To get the spirit that accords, 

With God's intent for us. 

Out from the darkness of it all 

There is a gleam of light; 
Kindness must be the aim of all, 

And hate must take its flight. 

In thought or business, work or play, 

It should be our endeavor, 
To find our duty every day. 

To get and give pleasure. 



WHERE'S HEAVEN? 

A local heaven does not show 

God at his very best; 
God a person we also know. 

Destroys His loveliness. 

Heaven a condition must be, 

And God the spirit love. 
We can then all its beauties see. 

And all His mercies prove. 

For death we need not wait to give 

The perfect life we get; 
We can enjoy it while we live, 

Before our sun has set. 



106 LIFE'S REALITIES 

If we have love before we die, 
We then possess a soul; 

To the eternal we will fly 
And with Him ever rule. 

Then let us trust and use our mind, 
To try to understand 

That God is love and we will find, 
His heaven to be grand. 



AS WE FORGIVE THOSE 

If we forgive, God also does. 
Those that do us a wrong — 

He better is than all of us, 
So we should now be strong. 

His plans work out for good to all, 

Show us a brighter day ; 
The trial, the sin that makes us fall. 

Are to correct our way. 

We cannot want our brother hurt, 

Help him to overcome; 
That he may choose the better part, 

Bravely his race to run. 

This is the way God has given, 
That we may know His will. 

We ne'er should try to "get even," 
But life with kindness fill. 

You can be sure the God of Love, 
Is doing that for you. 



LIFE'S REALITIES 107 

As His lessons of love will prove, 
The brute in us subdue. 



THE SECOND COMING 

Yes, Jesus Christ will come again, 

Be in a truer, deeper sense; 
His body he will not regain, 

But by man's soul he will come hence. 

He had a man's body and mind, 

The same as we all possess; 
But full of gentleness we find; 

Man is filled with selfishness. 

The world will see His way is best, 
And then to live it will begin, 

And joy will come, and peace and rest. 
And Lord Christ will be here again. 

Tis not belief in goats nor rams, 
That helps the trustful life to lead; 

Get rid of false and selfish shams, 
And, like Christ, do the kindly deed. 

The inner soul alone is true, 

The Christ, Incarnate Love sublime. 
When love is brought to birth in you. 

You'll greet Him here the second time. 



HOW WE GROW BETTER 

Plants grow from filth and earth, 
It takes what it needs; 



108 LIFE'S REALITIES 

The seed that gives it birth 
Grows among the weeds. 

Gets from dirt, by more growth, 
It's nobler than weed; 

Soon the blossoms show forth. 
To bring forth the seed. 

If a fragrance it has 
Brings to all that see, 

All will be happy as 
Anyone should be. 

Much like a plant we are, 
From sins discords grow. 

If love's seed be placed there, 
It will upward grow. 

As higher up we go 

We get purer air; 
To others start to show, 

AVe are worth their care. 

AVhen we start to blossom, 
Showing what is right; 

If ourselves be but true, 
All enjoy the sight. 

Then if we for them watch 
The good things to do, 

The fragrance they will catch. 
They'll bring love to you. 

Let not the sinful things, 
Whate'cr they may be. 



LIFE'S REALITIES 109 

Keep from you what good brings, 
In bad, good may see. 

The bad helps on the good, . 

Makes the glow brighter; 
You do the good you should, 

Dark will grow lighter. 



BELIEVE OR BE? 

Did Christ tell a beatitude, 

For you to believe or be? 
Want you to have an attitude, 

Or to live them out, you see. 

Blessed are the poor in spirit. 
For theirs is heaven's kingdom; 

If you do mourning inherit. 
Loving will bring you freedom. 

Blessings will come if you are meek, 
For the earth grows all for you; 

If for food and drink you seek. 
Shall be filled if you are true. 

If merciful, blessed you are, 
For mercy you shall obtain; 

Blessed are you if heart be pure. 
Heaven in you will remain. 

If peacemaker, blessed are you, 
For you are truly God's child; 

When they persecute if you are true. 
Should make you become more mild. 



110 LIFE'S REALITIES 

Are these a character to form, 
Or something for you to trust? 

Are they ever for your reform, 
Or have faith to show, you must? 

Are you the salt for all the earth 
By believing that you are? 

Can you obtain that new heart birth, 
Through the things that are unfair? 

Get your fellow's heart right away, 
With him you the habit get; 

That all you do and all you say, 
Show that you with Christ have met. 



KNOWLEDGE AND GROWTH 

If anyone should be bom wise. 
He would in life miss a lot; 

He'd have nothing from which to rise, 
And would dwindle to a dot. 

As a child had nothing to know, 
Mankind did start still lower; 

The child now has a brain to show, 
Germ of man had but power. 

First ideas that to him belong, 
They were very weak indeed ; 

Not only that, but they were wrong, 
All his thought, his word, his deed. 

Everything that man has started, 
No matter what it may be; 



LIFE'S REALITIES 111 

From the worst he was soon parted, 
Others a better did see. 

Not to do what the doctor said, 

To right you should be nearest, 
Not to believe half you have read, 

Other ways would be purest. 

Listen to the early jurist, 

What a poor idea he had; 
Of all ways it was the surest. 

Always made the wayward bad. 

All the inventions that man wrought, 

Were only a feeble start; 
That other men with equal thought, 

Improved by taking apart. 

What a travesty they did make, 
When they of God had a thought ; 
How they all did with terror shake. 
Appeased Him by what they brought. 

As the ages to us go by, 

Better views will get brighter; 
As in everything else we try, 

The best we have get better. 

God does not dwell way up on high, 

All that decays or does grow. 
He as a spirit is nigh, 

Love in all he wants to show. 

Of God then get the latest view. 
That for the best will work out; 



112 LIFE'S REALITIES 

Love one another and be true, 
Will bring heaven here about. 



THE ONE UNCHANGING GOD 

God does not trick and change His plan, 

His world and love are one. 
That love goes out to every man 

Who cries, "Thy will be done." 

Love docs not change — 'tis always best. 

Unstable it would be worse; 
Instead of a God we can trust, 

This love would be a curse. 

Now man has written many ihing«. 

And many things has done, 
Which represent the only God 

To be a changing one. 

For when man thinks he knows the right, 

He wishes to explain, 
All that he feels the best he can, 

And so he writes amain. 

If in his knowledge he is weak, 

The wrong he may believe; 
The wrong may teach, may write, may speak, 

Without intent deceive. 

All talcs and fables we should scan, 
No matter where they're found. 

And try and test them by His plan, 
To see if love abound. 



LIFE'S REALITIES 113 

ROCK OF AGES 

Rock of ages, cleft for me, 

Let me hide myself in Thee, 

Let the water and the blood. 

From Thy riven side which flowed, 

Be the thing to make me sure 

Thou didst believe that love could cure. 

Yes, the labor of our hands, 
Helps fulfil Thy laws demands. 
Honest work shall give us rest, 
And show the love within the breast. 
Surely will for sin atone. 
When we live for truth alone. 

Nothing in my hand I bring. 
Simply to Thy love I cling; 
Naked, come to Thee for dress. 
Practice love to get the grace; 
From me all the foulness flies. 
When Thy kindness in me lies. 

While I draw this fleeting breath. 
When my eyelids close in death, 
While I soar to worlds unknown, 
Then the love that's in me grown, 
Is the Rock that clefts for me, 
And I'll safely rest in Thee. 

CHOOSE YE THIS DAY 

Are you a man or a sheep? 
Do you believe all you hear? 



114 LIFE'S REALITIES 

Have you, your brains put to sleep, 
Believing that which you fear? 

Wake up, man, can you not see 
There is a problem to face; 

Does the Christ's love make you free, 
Or does belief in God's grace? 

Do you want to play the game, 
Or work it; do you think best, 

To be good only in name 
And not to feel for the rest? 

To always do what is right. 
If you feel but what you do; 

All will get a better sight, 
And will like you become true. 

God wants you all grace to have, 
You must get it through your will. 

Not in forms to be a slave. 
The law of life to fulfil. 

"What is the law?" you may ask, 
"That we all may learn to know?" 

Apply ourselves to a task 
Until we a habit grow. 

Think deeply on anything, 
Until you get it out clear; 

The strength to you it will bring, 
To do it without a fear. 

You see God is doing it. 
Because God is in this law, 



LIFE'S REALITIES 115 

Then doing do not omit, 
All will have what Jesus saw. 

Work the Church for you to save, 

But you know it is not square; 
When you play it, good you'll have, 

And all your deeds will be fair. 



A VISION OF THE CHURCH 

I had a vision one night, 
Of what the church will be. 

How it will change to the right, 
Show the things all should see. 

I thought I was in a pew. 
Way back close to the door; 

It was fine with all things new. 
Some were rich, many poor. 

Then when all were gathered in, 
Reading and prayer did end. 

Then they all began to sing, 
A pleasant hour to spend. 

The minister gave out his text, 
If you say you love God, 

Hate your brother who sits next, 
You are liars to the good. 

Just then five of the brothers, 
Did bow their heads in sleep; 

Forgetting all the others 
When sleep did o'er them creep. 



116 LIFE'S REALITIES 

My text my friends to us show, 
How we should help these men; 

Their weakness we all do know, 
We shouldn't laugh but help them. 

He threw paper down a chute, 
That's to let ten men know; 

Bring cots these men on to put. 
So we can kindness show. 

They put the cots in the aisle, 
With great care laid them down ; 

Laid their brothers out in style, 
They might come to their own. 

The preacher the pulpit sought. 
And there began his talk; 

For twenty years I have taught, 
You the way you should walk. 

But what puzzles me the most. 

When I think it over; 
While I you a deal have cost, 

I a thought discover. 

They have slept here twenty years, 
You have to me been true. 

But man for man it appears, 
They are better than you. 

That my sermons have been wrong, 
There can be little doubt; 

Tried through them to make you strong, 
You see, they slept it out. 



LIFE'S REALITIES 117 

I have awakened now at last, 

I am sure I'll try it; 
Cut out the stuff of the past, 

Preach Christ love to merit. 

Let us all be like brothers, 

Each other's sorrows share; 
See the good in all others, 

Bring to each what is fair. 



RADIATE 

Light shows truth and dark shows hate, 

Glow is light in a place; 
If it will but radiate, 

Will help the human race. 

The wrong you can dissipate, 

Talk of love, but get true ; 
Then the glow will radiate. 

To all others from you. 

When we set them an example, 

Ourselves do regulate; 
Be in life a true sample. 

Will then truth radiate. 

What's the use to try to teach. 
When we are filled with hate; 

How can you the others reach. 
When love don't radiate. 

Let love glow at any rate, 
For yourself it is good; 



118 LIFE'S REALITIES 

Better yet to radiate, 
All will live as they should. 

If you believe what you say, 

Be it, is not effete ; 
You had better live that way, 

Your love to radiate. 

To preach is not half your work; 

That may insatiate; 
If in life you it do shirk, 

And fail to radiate. 

Mix with people as Christ did, 
He's one to imitate; 

You for their love make a bid, 
When you love, radiate. 



THE MODERN BABEL 

How beliefs are jumbled up. 
We all seem to be crazy; 

We drink each from the same cup, 
Yet of its taste we're hazy. 

Can any one get a line, 

On what can be the matter? 

Or had we better recline. 
And let our powers scatter? 

Lie around in gross content. 
Believe all that is told us? 

Can that be all that is meant, 
Be a man and nothing else? 



LIFE'S REALITIES 119 

There is a motive within, 

Beyond the power of men, 
They can't help, what they begin, 

It must be love urging them. 

To think of this, must be right, 

For this the mind was given. 
We can so improve our light. 

That we can see towards heaven. 

Prophets, Jesus and wise men. 

In one thing all did agree; 
Mercy love and not condemn. 

But the best in all to see. 

The truth is thus so simple. 

So easy to understand, 
If we'd be the example. 

We'd fulfil Christ's command. 

The gist of all that's said 

Is to have love for others; 
The essence of all that's read, 

Ib but to love your brothers. 



WHICH IS RIGHT? 

Is it the law to observe, 
A day to keep for all? 

On Friday the fish to serve, 
And be baptized when small? 

Or is it to never dance, 
Nor yet to play a card? 



120 LIFE'S REALITIES 

Do we have a better chance, 
When we these things discard? 

How can all this make you pure, 
Honest and kind and true? 

Can you that peace secure, 

That you get when right you do? 

Should we not think it over; 

Get Jesus' point of view? 
Throw off the things that cover 

And get a viewpoint true? 

Begin to love all you see, 
See the good, not the bad; 

Live the life you want to be, 
Then your heart will be glad. 

And you will have a new heart. 
Your viewpoint will be changed ; 

What you've done, for self to start, 
For all can be arranged. 

Tiie things you to others mete, 
Will all return to you; 

If you're kind to all you meet, 
Back it comes and more, too. 

You get all that you work out. 
What you work out works in; 

When we bad in others rout, 
What is true will begin. 

The law is godly given 

And then you get his grace; 



LIFE'S REALITIES 121 

It forms in you a heaven, 
'Twill save the human race. 



TRICKING GOD AND MAN 

Can you trick God and get through, 
Make a bluff and make it stick? 

To yourself to be untrue, 
Get to heaven through a trick. 

Trick a brother in a trade, 

Go to church for it to hide ; 
Tell all for them you have prayed, 

And then trick them on the side. 

You believe in good, you say, 

But you're tricky through and through; 
You can't grow a soul that way, 

God can never live in you. 

You are deceived right along. 
You have to become what's true; 

If you keep on doing wrong, 
The brute still remains in you. 

Tricks will never make you pure. 
Live for love and do kind deeds, 

Will help you more I am sure. 
For love within more love breeds. 

Stop your tricks and get in right, 
Play the game, but play it square ; 

Makes your pathway ever bright, 
When good in you, others share. 



122 LIFE'S REALITIES 

When you are dead there you are, 
What you always lived to be; 

If spirit goes anywhere, 
Will be you, in bonds or free. 

You have to be your belief, 

At its source goodness must be; 

You will find a great relief. 
See what love will do for thee. 

All of God lives within you. 

Drives out of you all your tricks; 

You will then be always true, 
You'll know truth and sham w^on't mix. 

Before you to heaven go. 

You must get right here on earth ; 

If you good your fellows show, 
Heaven in you will have birtJi. 



CHRISTIAN EDUCATION 

About Christianity you talk. 
What do you know about it? 

If all would ask you how to walk, 
Come to my church and join it. 

How do you know your church is right? 

Wake up, maybe you are wrong; 
Do you know what you think is right? 

Or does belief make you strong? 

You talk about ungodly schools. 
Does not good character count? 



LIFE'S REALITIES 123 

All in other beliefs are fools, 
To nothing do they amount. 

Did Christ set you up as a judge? 

Have you, for all unkind thoughts; 
All their ideas and ways to smudge, 

Because they think their own thoughts. 

Now you've formed a certain habit. 
Cause you were brought up that way; 

There's no way but as you have it, 
So you have it all to say. 

If you would study Jesus more. 

And less of others perhaps; 
Maybe you would not feel so sore. 

At all your brothers' mishaps. 

Christ stood for character to have, 
You won't let us train that way; 

Named many things to do in love, 
Scored belief in every way. 

The devils believed all the time. 

And stuck to it and trembled ; 
Would not do the good and be kind, 

But just believed and grumbled. 

We must all get to be Christ-like, 

Do like, feel like, be like Him; 
Do kind things to know what it's like, 

Do kind deeds, you'll be like Him, 

It is not set rules to follow. 
Nor to be stem in the home ; 



124 LIFE'S REALITIES 

Not ideas from man to swallow, 
For purity of heart make room. 

The American home you don't like, 
You say it is not Christian ; 

If there they be taught what is right, 
Is not that all that's Christian? 

Be all the beatitudes teach, 

Feel it deeply through and through; 

Is that not better, than to preach 
Of things that you never do. 



PASSING OF THEOLOGY 

Theology has had its day, 
Much confusion it did bring; 

It kept us from the loving way, 
From which happiness does spring. 

It magnifies the fear in man. 
Holds us to the words alone; 

We think three in one is the plan. 
Instead all to be in one. 

Look for fruit you will find belief, 
Fountain of love it doesn't touch; 

God direct must give you relief. 
Kindness does not count for much. 

It does not touch the fountain head, 
That God as love lives in all ; 

Catch the thought, and you will be lead, 
Then the other, will look small. 



LIFE'S REALITIES 125 

It was all right when man was young, 

Before he farther could think; 
He's climbed the ladder one more rung, 

He has forged another link. 

The fruit now is love, thought and deeds, 

His life to love is given; 
He's anxious for a brother's needs, 

With him he enjoys heaven. 

Theology can't make you pure, 

Honest, kind and ever true; 
What Jesus taught will do it sure. 

Get that spirit into you. 



MASONS 

Mankind has done many things, 
That he might help his brothers; 

It's the love spirit that brings, 
A plan for helping others. 

The church, unions and the lodge. 
Have had a place in this plan ; 

We should see without a grudge, 
What Masons have done for man. 

So quietly their work do. 
So brotherly in their deeds, 

So faithful to what is true, 
They care for a brother's needs. 

That they are an example. 
Of all that Christ ever taught; 



126 LIFE'S REALITIES 

Their loving acts are ample, 

To grow a heart like Christ sought. 



You may believe, so do they, 
To live it you may omit; 

Is it not a better way, 
To believe right, then liv 



e it. 



All the world a lodge should be, 
And we as brothers belong; 

See the good in you and me, 
Push the right and check the wrong. 

Whatever keeps man from man. 
Can never be what is best; 

The great eternal plan. 

Is man with man finds his rest. 



DO WHAT YOU CAN 

Maybe you cannot do much, 
You can do what you can; 

All are not grown just alike, 
But try to be a man. 

In all of the world so vast, 
There is a place for you ; 

In the many ways to do. 
You can pull something through. 

The stars to us only shine. 
Is that too small for you? 

Do what you can all the time, 
You can, I think, be true. 



LIFE'S REALITIES 127 

Some may teach and some may write, 
Some may think, some may talk; 

Some can only do what's right; 
In kindness all may walk. 

It is better anyway, 

To pyossess what you should; 
That others feel what you have, 

Radiate what is good. 



COMING PEACE 

All creation waits for love. 
It groaneth to get peace; 

For the love of man to grow, 
That his torture might cease. 

Peace is the object we know, 
For which the world was grown ; 

That all that troubles might cease, 
And drive away the groan. 

Without peace all is awry. 
All the beasts of the fields, 

Plants to grow will better try. 
When peace about them steals. 

Why should we make all things wait, 
When we're offered heaven? 

Why can't we begin to love. 
That peace may be given? 

The world has waited too long. 
My man, you hold it back; 



128 LIFE'S REALITIES 

Get ready to push it strong, 
You no help let it lack. 



VALUE OF GOOD DEEDS 

Why should we love our neighbor? 

To bring kindness to us all ; 
"Why should we poor men favor? 

Brings lienven on earth to fall. 

Why should we love to have peace? 

Brings us close to our brother; 
Why should we our love increase? 

Makes heaven for another. 

Why should we be unselfish? 

It gets my brother's good will; 
Why should we kindness relish? 

It has always been God's will. 

Why should we all tell the good? 

Then we forget all that's bad; 
Cheer the sad ones all we should, 

Let what we do make them glad. 

Why should we the hungry feed? 

That we ourselves may be fed ; 
AVhy should we be kept from greed? 

To helpfulness may be led. 

Why should we do all of these? 

The world was planned just for this; 
Grew the man that could with ease, 

All together live in bliss. 



LIFE'S REALITIES 129 

Was in man's heart long ago, 

It was felt by some people ; 
Others did not see it so, 

Gathered under a steeple. 

It blossomed out in Jesus, 

He for a pure heart did stand ; 
He taught it for all of us, 

As the one thing to command. 

God with man to be united, 

Heaven these all will employ; 
No good fruit will be blighted. 

As God men all things enjoy. 

FACTS AND TRUTH 

Facts are stubborn things, they say, 

You must surely have them; 
You cannot know wisdom's way, 

If its tide, try to stem. 

Anything short of the facts 

Will weaken your manhood; 
Through your thoughts and all your 
acts. 

Will keep from making good. 

Facts are fearless as they go, 

They care not who they hit; 
Will shield neither friend nor foe, 

But want the best of it. 

They will clear up all your doubt, 
Make you a man that's strong; 



130 LIFE'S REALITIES 

Bring the best that's in you out, 
Help you choose right from wrong. 

Facts are facts no matter where, 
Or what you may believe ; 

Deal with all things just and fair, 
Bring the good to receive. 

The truth, the whole truth is square; 

And nothing but the truth. 
Helps us to do what is fair. 

And be a friend to both. 

Why should any one be short, 
On the truth or the facts ; 

With best in life do not sport, 
Give life the truth it lacks. 

There's little that may be true. 
What man to you will teach ; 

So you see it's up to you. 
Get the facts when they preach. 

It's a fact that your pleasure. 
Depends on having friends ; 

It's a truth you should treasure. 
It's what Jesus commends. 

From this fact you can build up, 
A God man you will be; 

Ever pass the loving cup. 
Radiate it to me. 



LIFE'S REALITIES 131 

MAN IN DIFFERENT STAGES OF GROWTH 

Men go wrong from wrong ideas, 

They don't get started right; 
Think they can do what they please, 

Think the world they must fight. 

These selfish ideas they have, 

Come from out of the past; 
They for excitement do crave, 

They like to live too fast. 

An idea of their high birth, 
Keep some from honest work; 

Think they are the best on earth. 
The love for man they shirk. 

They do not know a brother. 

Except a chum in greed; 
They care not for another, 

Unless he shows good breed. 

Jesus tried to cure all this, 
And showed this way was wrong; 

You reach the highest in bliss, 
Helping others along. 

Wanted all to humble be, 

Seek the good in others; 
And that we all, you and me, 

Should get to be brothers. 

You will not your brother trick, 
Nor think yourself better ; 



132 LIFE'S REALITIES 

A inill!?tonc tied to your neck, 
Tlian man thus to fetter. 

As does nature onward press, 
Some are farther along; 

You know much and I know less, 
But time will push me on. 

All born equal, no not much, 
We're at different stages; 

Brains will grow and then will clutch, 
The plan of the ages. 

We should love the ignorant too. 
He's behind in the race; 

Life will bring his children through. 
Then equality we'll face. 



THE CHRISTIAN BASIS 

Do you get right with man. 
By giving God your love; 

Or to love man the plan, 
Shows \oxe to God above? 

Love God with all your heart, 
Yourself and your neighbor; 

Of these which will you start, 
Which one will you favor? 

If you your brother hate, 
And love God, you're a liar; 

Get right before it's late, 
To do the thing that's fair. 



LIFE'S REALITIES 133 

Love your God, how can you, 

When you've never seen him? 
To your brothers be true. 

Is the place to begin. 

Get right with God, you cry, 

Can't you see it is wrong? 
First your fellows you try 

To live happy among. 

Is it belief that saves? 

Or helping others needs? 
Serve them in many ways, 

By doing loving deeds. 

You a God man will be. 

When a Godly life live; 
Not by praying, you see. 

But be what you believe. 

To become is the task, 

Not to go anywhere ; 
Is that truth? you may ask, 

That's what Christ did declare. 

How easy it is then, 

A Christian to be; 
Gets your heaven within, 

Bringing all this to see. 

Love then grows within you. 

You do become God's child; 
To the God love, you're true, 

You like Christ will be mild. 



134 LIFE'S REALITIES 

CHRISTIAN LIFE 

The problem of seeking God, 
Is so deep for you or me; 

He seeks us and we seek Him, 
All in Him may happy be. 

Spirit love hovers over, 

Broods within everything too; 

Striving to bring harmony, 
In all and in me and you. 

In His love we would abide, 
Trust and live it every day ; 

Want it, in us to abide. 
Then we cannot go astray. 

In the stress and storms of life, 
We can always rest in it; 

It will cheer us and direct. 
If we live it to merit. 

Never to cease our working. 
Always trying to obtain. 

Kindly deeds and loving thoughts, 
Show them out, relieve the pain. 



THE GIFT OF INFANCY 

Who can know the infant's heart. 
The secret of its being? 

Its impulse, no matter what, 
May not be known by seeing. 



LIFE'S REALITIES 135 

The soul within does not show, 

Nor what it soon will be ; 
There is one thing that I know, 

That it means all to me. 

The look from out its infant eyes 

Touches our inner feeling, 
And when it to do something tries, 

It seems to us appealing. 

The little thing is in our care, 

We must to it be true; 
And try to know and with it share 

The thing that's best to do. 

You may be sure, like all things else, 

You shall get good from it; 
For what we give the true or false, 

Is what we will beget. 

We must not check what outward flows, 

Its inner self express; 
Be sure to give it as it grows, 

The fond word and caress. 

You give us more than we give you. 

You wee helpless darling! 
For you our hearts with love imbue. 

Keep us all from quarreling. 

You make our lives more strong and kind, 

Our spirit strong to do, 
I cannot then ever be blind 

To what we get from you. 



136 LIFE'S REALITIES 

So from me you will always learn, 
The gentle look to give; 

By trusting you may discern, 
A heavenlv life to live. 



MAKING A CHILD CHRISTIAN 

If you have a child in your care, 
You have the best nature gives; 

When you with it, your love you share, 
Learn to live the life it lives. 

Your selfishness it will subdue. 

Give you an insight of life; 
You through it will learn what is true, 

Both the husband and the wife. 

"When you bring to it of the good. 
You yourself will more be blessed; 

Teaching it to be never rude, 
By its love you'll be caressed. 

The example that you set the child, 
Makes you all that Jesus taught; 

Show mercy and be ever mild, 
New heart within, will be wrought. 

Be like it is, a faithful friend. 
Trust in good and for it live; 

Then friends you will have without end, 
For the good you've learned to give. 

You think you have to give up all. 
You get much more than you give; 



LIFE'S REALITIES 137 

You grow awa}' from what is small, 
Find the only way to live. 

Through your child you all others love, 

Your love will grow out further; 
Include the earth and stars above, 

In all see love is father. 

Then you will have in you heaven, 

And will bear the proper fruit; 
With spirit good j^ou have striven, 

Become a man, drop the brute. 



HOW TEACH THE YOUNG 

How can I a Christian be, 

Except to be a friend? 
How can I of heaven see, 

Except our kindness blend? 

Shall I gather girls and boys, 
Tell to them what is good; 

Show them the right kind of noise, 
Not be true as I should? 

When we teach we must be true. 
Some better than we teach; 

Give to them the kindly view. 
The good in them we'll reach. 

If you teach from the Bible, 
With it their life compare; 

Do not of either libel, 
Do with each what is fair. 



138 LIFE'S REALITIES 

There's enough in each to show 
What is the best for all; 

How spirit works, try to know, 
And for it let them call. 

Radiate more than you tell, 
Be yourself all that's pure; 

With them in harmony dwell, 
Spirit love will be sure. 

LIFE OF LOVE THROUGH THE CHILD 

Have you studied the child, 
It was Christ's sample; 

Like it you must become. 
It's your example. 

You must get that spirit, 

In it that you see ; 
Believe it and live it, 

And that spirit be. 

That spirit is the God, 

Get it within you; 
Show it in loving deeds. 

More will see it too. 

You can't show the evil, 

And be right inside; 
Get the kindly habit, 

God with you abide. 

Radiate it to all. 

Let it shine and grow; 
You never tire of good, 

To all let it show. 



LIFE'S REALITIES 139 

BECOME LOVE 

It is good if I love Jesus, 

It is good I love you ; 
It's good that all tries to please us, 

It's good that I am true. 

It is good that I love God's works, 

My enemies to love; 
Also that God within me lurks, 

But I must become love. 

Jesus thus incarnated life. 

Became just what he taught; 
Can you not then in all your life, 

Get the incarnate thought? 

You love God, you say, it is well. 

But why names specify? 
Did Jesus thus to any tell, 

Use it to magnify. 

Never mind what you have believed, 

That is not Avhat to seek; 
Be love transformed and be relieved, 

From all that keeps you weak. 

When this controlling love you get, 

Everything right will be; 
What things to love you will not fret, 

Love will be all you see. 

Living thus, you're all you'll ever be, 
At peace with God and man; 



140 LIFE'S REALITIES 

Will be in love eternally, 
For just this, love did plan. 

It's only this, that sets you free, 
For that Christ did contend; 

Then you with all, will happy be, 
Forever without end. 



SEE THE GOOD 

God is love, good or spirit, 

And nothing else is He; 
Can't I get you to see it, 

Naught else will ever be. 

Where hate is He can't be found, 

Nor is He in discords; 
When war starts He isn't around. 

It is man war records. 

Hate shows man has not arrived. 
Has yet sometime to grow; 

He may all this have survived. 
Through it a better show. 

God is in war as in brute. 

Growing the man higher; 
But He would have better fruit, 

Through man would grow brighter. 

Man His lesson, he must learn, 
His experiences will teach; 

Till he to the good will turn, 
Good for all he will reach. 



LIFE'S REALITIES 141 

CHRIST IN THE CHILD 

Why do we teach the child, 

To do all things good? 
Tell him how to be mild, 

Never to be rude. 

In life you found it best, 

He should kindly be; 
In gentle ways to rest, 

Life's kindness will see. 

Jesus upheld the child, 

You must get like it; 
In young manhood were wild, 

Back to the child get. 

A child will ever lead. 

All to what is true; 
Mouths of babies will plead, 

For the good in you. 

This was ever Christ's way. 

Like to see kind deeds; 
Wants us mean what we say, 

Scatter loving seeds. 

Blessed are the pure in heart, 

What you taught your child ; 
Do good, you did impart, 

Christ would have us mild. 

Suffering, Christ relieved; 
Your child's heart is kind; 



142 LIFE'S REALITIES 

Devils trembled, believed, 
Had not love in mind. 

You a habit did form, 

It's not of merit; 
It your child did reform, 

Now do not change it. 

If it bears fruit of love 
Its heart must be right; 

First teaching don't remove, 
Keep kindness in sight. 

Why should you when he grows, 
Disturb what you taught; 

Deride the good he shows. 
Have him count it naught. 

Tell him he is wicked, 
Cause Eve fooled Adam; 

He'll scent something crooked, 
He will see the sham. 

Because some man of old, 
Turned things all around; 

Believe first, then be told, 
Let God make you sound. 

On sacrifice were mixed. 
Simple, to be pure; 

In their ideas were fixed. 
Were right they were sure. 

Do not change, push him on, 
To be pure relate; 



LIFE'S REALITIES 143 

To be kind right along, 
And love radiate. 

Christ I think clearly taught, 

Not of Adam's sin; 
To the good all be brought, 

Have it dwell within. 

All should get the habit, 

Purity within; 
We the good will merit, 

Forget Adam's sin. 



RELIGION WITHOUT WORKS 

A colored man in meeting said. 
When speaking in a monologue: 

I have this week been very bad, 
Have broken every decalogue. 

It's too bad for my relation. 
To thus hear what I have to tell ; 

Yet I have all my religion, 

I thank God all with me is well. 

You all may laugh at this story, 

Is it a picture of you? 
In the cross of Christ you glory. 

But in life are you always true? 

There is only one way to God, 
Your religion must be your life ; 

Enjoy the sunshine or the rod. 

Have all for good that comes in life. 



144 LIFE'S REALITIES 

Drop all your rules, start to be it, 
Let the fountain source become pure; 

Love has no rules, but to share it. 
Your freedom through love is secure. 

Your sins you should not catalogue, 
Cannot you remove every cause; 

Will be beyond the decalogue. 
Work only for the right to cause. 



VOLTAIRE AND THE QUAKERS 

A man asked Voltaire one day. 
Why not the Quakers deride? 

Against others you do say. 
Why you the Quakers abide. 

I have a reason to tell, 
Their belief they always do; 

In peace and comfort they dwell, 
To every one they are true. 

This my prayer will always be. 
That we may all get like them ; 

Nothing but the good to see, 
Live it out and not condemn. 

Let the spirit love control, 
Be a man and not a brute; 

Have within you God for soul. 
Then you'll bear the Quaker fruit. 

This was the thought of Jesus, 
With all your fellows get right; 



LIFE'S REALITIES 145 

Always do that which pleases, 
You will be pure in His sight. 



GOD HELPS THROUGH MAN 

Through us right must be taught, 
Through us neighbors pleased; 

Through us God would be sought, 
Through us pain is eased. 

Through us fire is put out, 
Through us God does see; 

Through us good's given out, 
Through us bad will flee. 

Through us sick will be healed, 
Through us kindness grows; 

Through us truth is revealed. 
Through us wisdom goes. 

Through us are saved drowned men, 
Through us poor relieved; 

Through us none will condemn. 
Through us God's conceived. 

Through us wrong is routed. 

Through us right begins; 
Through us God is doubted. 

Through us a war reigns. 

Through us quarrels are started, 
Through us peace is made; 

Through us friends are parted. 
Through us friends are made. 



146 • LIFE'S REALITIES 

Through us God shows His will, 
Through us seed is sowed; 

Through us He'd do more still, 
Through us all are loved. 

Through us our will is sought, 
Through us all's given; 

Through us we get His thought, 
Through us comes heaven. 

Through us Himself He sees. 
Through us He does hear; 

Through us ignorance flees. 
Through us God is here. 

Through us there is freedom, 
Through us is His way; 

Through us comes His kingdom, 
Through us give it sway. 



NOT BELIEVING WHAT YOU HEAR 

There was a man in our town, 
And he was wondrous wise; 

What others thought tried to down, 
With logical devise. 

What he taught was all there was. 
No odds what it might be; 

His cause was the only cause. 
He could no other see. 

There was no chance for to grow, 
He knew it all to start; 



LIFE'S REALITIES 147 

He's a dangerous man to know, 
From him you better part. 

Safest one for us to know, 

Is one that keeps growing; 
What he has found he will show, 

And not self keep showing. 

He's no system to proclaim, 

He only wants the truth; 
Meek he wishes to remain, 

Give thoughts to man and youth. 

You may be sure of a claim, 

If for it talks too much ; 
He's hiding behind a game. 

For he protests too much. 

It's not safe for you, my friend. 

To let one think for you; 
You should not at all pretend, 

If you can't live it true. 



THOUGHTS FROM THE CONTENTS 

Do not believe what you hear, until you try it in life. 

Better not be what you seem, than to seem what you are not. 

Be true to what you talk. 

Love spirit is eternal. 

What will always separate man is wrong. 

Live what you believe. 

Live it and be it is higher than belief. 

Man cannot keep from growing. 

Man is always sowing. 



148 LIFE'S REALITIES 

Lo^•e unites, hate scatters. 

We should feel what we do. 

God is spirit; we worship Him by allowing His spirit 

through us to serve. 
We worship God when we serve man. 
When man loves man, both are in heaven. 
The soul is God in man. 
The brute and hate in man is devil. 
Talk love, think love, be love. 
Look for love you will find love. 
Love always looks for good. 
God sees suffering through our eyes and relieves it only 

through us. 
Heaven is harmony, hell is discord. 
Thought in you brings the good. 

HOW WE GROW 

Man through trouble gets his peace, 
Through hell reaches heaven; 

His growing can never cease, 
Until he gets heaven. 

Struggle on, you cannot rest. 

Till you all comprehend; 
Through the worst you get the best, 

Through low, high comprehend. 

The world has long lived in hate, 

It's going to learn love; 
It is not at all of fate. 

It is the law of love. 

From little things greater grow. 
From acorns the oaks come; 



LIFE'S REALITIES 149 

Can't you see why it is so, 
See what you may become? 

Can't you see spirit in all, 

Something like a heaven; 
A plan through all does us call, 

To get you this heaven. 

What follows death do not care, 

Get what you want now here; 
What's best for you try to share. 

Get it while you are here. 

First the stalk and then the ear. 

Then full corn it becomes; 
Growth is certain, do not fear. 

Grow like heaven becomes. 



RELIGION'S CRITIC 

Mohammedans will kill seven men, 
To get right with Allah, they say; 

The monks for the same live in a pen; 
Thank God, I don't see it that way. 

The Methodists in free grace believe; 

The Advent loves his seventh day; 
Quaker the spirit does receive; 

Thank God, I don't see it that way. 

Presbyterians think what we get, 
Was from eternity on the way; 

The Baptists on immersion are set; 
Thank God, I don't see it that way. 



150 LIFE'S REALITIES 

Catholics are very strict with creed, 
Love their penance to do and pay ; 

Unitarians like the kind deed; 
Thank God, I don't see it that way. 

The Christian Science think all is good; 

Spiritualists like not the day. 
In the darkness ever love to brood; 

Thank God, I don't see it that way. 

Congregationalists love to be free; 

The Buddhist likes to always pray; 
The infidels no good in any see; 

Thank God, I don't see it that way. 

Episcopalians to church are true; 

Mennonites in dark clothes array ; 
And Disciples think they arc true blue; 

Thank God, I can't see it that way. 

The Reformed church sticks up for the book, 
The Bible they believe today ; 

At many others we would like to look, 
Thank God, we think it will not pay. 

Of them all you freely criticize. 
You ought to be sure anyway; 

The thought man has had of any size, 
Will help to bring the truth his way. 

Nothing is ever done, you will see, 
But will help at the final close; 

To know the things that help us to be, 
For what love all along did choose. 



LIFE'S REALITIES 151 

Let us believe and keep struggling on, 
Better than to be always shrinking; 

Though you may be very often wrong, 
You will get truth if you're thinking. 



BE THE GOOD SAMARITAN 

From Jerusalem to Jericho, 

A man did go one day; 
That he fell among thieves might be so. 

In truth to teach a way. 

To show you the kind of man to be, 

Jesus did tell the tale; 
What God likes in any man to see, 

This must be without fail. 

The man God likes poured oil on his wound, 

And took him to an inn ; 
An active belief like this is sound. 

Shows he had love within. 

You cannot be what God would have you. 

And do anything less; 
To the spirit of helping be true, 

Or you don't love possess. 

No excuse can ever take its place. 

If a God man you'd be; 
It's not what he believed he did face, 

Same love in you would see. 



152 LIFE'S REALITIES 

ABOLISH WAR 

Beat your swords into pruning hooks, 
Make a ploughshare of your spear; 

Warfare is only for the crooks; 
Why for them the burden bear? 

Learn the art. of war never more, 
Peace on earth good will to men ; 

A strife can never make you pure; 
Bring out the love that's in them. 

Be unto others kind and true, 
Turn the other cheek to smite; 

Let kindness radiate from you, 
Then there'll be less cause to fight. 

But if a brute do us annoy, 

Let us all get together; 
Treat him like you would any boy, 

Must tie him to a tether. 

Then what is right you to him tell. 
It in love you can explain; 

That we should all in happiness dwell, 
In wrong you will nothing gain. 

Life is too short to quarrel and fight, 
Takes it all to drive out hate; 

To fill up all with truth and riglit, 
Then live love to radiate. 

Of the peace way you need not fear. 
It's backed by thought of the ages; 

Jesus and prophets held it dear. 
Written on historj^ pages. 



LIFE'S REALITIES 153 

GREETINGS 

What about your "Good morning, 

How do you do today?" 
With those words are you scorning? 

Do you mean what you say? 

"I am so glad to see you; 

Glad to meet you, my dear!" 
Do they show you to be true? 

Is behind them a leer? 

"It is so good we have met; 

Do not forget me now." 
'Cause they belong to your set, 

Or feel what you avow? 

0, how you would like to know 

The meaning of it all. 
"Are they behind what they show? 

For my love do they call?" 

When we meet a loving friend, 

How happy then we are; 
Through them to the world we send, 

Thoughts that will lighten care. 

If in these we are a sham, 

We are a curse, you see; 
In hypocrisy we are calm, 

All the worse we will be. 

It's the little things we do, 
It is the word we say ; 



154 LIFE'S REALITIES 

Both show the heart that is true, 
Or tlic heart that's astray. 

Let every one be your friend, 
If you know them or not; 

To them the best in you send, 
Make them pleased with their lot. 

If we have a friend in all, 
And we a friend would be; 

The best from each we will call, 
And all of heaven see. 



OUR MISTAKES 

What's the struggle, what's the worry; 

^A'hat is the matter now? 
Done the things for which you're sorry; 

Didn't mean to start a row? 

AVell, you know we all make mistakes, 
Do the things we should not; 

Evil sometimes good overtakes. 
Hide behind I forgot. 

Your worry only makes it worse. 
You cannot it that way square; 

But through gentleness, not your purse. 
Tell them now you'll be fair. 

The world will be fair to the strong. 
Who will strike for the right; 

They know it's easy to go wrong, 
But for right we must fight. 



LIFE'S REALITIES 155 

It's through our mistakes we will grow, 

Correcting them pleases; 
Greater happiness we will show, 

When love from hate frees us. 

Cheer up, we are all of a kind, 

We're to get the habit; 
It will be easy then you'll find, 

To be kind and live it. 



CONCEIT 

A preacher visited in Scotland, 

From America had come; 
A chance to preach he soon did land, 

That he might teach them some. 

He had a very solemn air. 

To preach he did his best; 
He told them of things over there. 

That waked them from their rest. 

His voice was loud and verj^ strong, 

How he did show them up ! 
He told them all about their wrong, 

All were bad and corrupt. 

When he had done he laid his head, 

On pulpit to impress; 
They might more believe what he said, 

More willing to confess. 

The beadle did his duty see, 
To the pulpit, he did climb; 



156 LIFE'S REALITIES 

Do not o'er rauckle sad to be, 
You'll do better next time. 



BEST WAY FOR BOYS 

Now, little boy, you come here, 

I want to talk to you; 
Why with others be severe? 

It hurts you so to do. 

You will soon need many friends, 
You can't live without them ; 

The best way to make amends, 
Is to be good to them. 

You lick him or he licks you, 
How does that fix it up? 

You love him and he loves you. 
That will straighten it up. 

Must learn always to be kind. 
Your kindness makes all so; 

Your happiness, you will find, 
You must get as you go. 

Gentle ways and all kind words. 
Will bring peace you to know; 

Talk of love instead of swords, 
You'll find it better so. 

Other boys are your brothers, 
You must learn to please them ; 

Good you'll get from the others, 
If vou never tease them. 



LIFE'S REALITIES 157 

If you're gentle and polite, 
The world holds much for you; 

If you quarrel and like to fight, 
It will give that to you. 

Start now to do what is right, 

Try with all to be true ; 
When you get this better light. 

Heaven will form in you. 



THE PATHWAY UP THE HILL 

The way grows brighter all along, 

As we plod on and on ; 
And sweet and sweeter still the song, 

Until our race is run. 

How happy we should always be, 

To find the way of God, 
To work, to play, to sing, to see. 

And joy in all that's good. 

The world is full of happiness. 
If we would tune our lives, 

In harmony with its fulness 
Our spirit it revives. 

Then toss away all carking care, 

And ever cheerful be, 
Delighting in each word or prayer, 

That leads us on to see, 

The beauty of God's plan for us, 
His ever watchful love ; 



158 LIFE'S REALITIES 

Which leads us always up the path, 
That guides to heaven above. 



THE GOSPEL OF TODAY 

Believe less and do better, 

Is the gospel of today; 
Break loose from every fetter, 

More to do and less to say. 

Jesus cannot make you good, 
Unless you get rid of hate; 

You, like Him, a child of God, 
When you by love all translate. 

The true Jesus is that love. 

That completely filled His heart. 

What it did for him does prove, 
God with Him we have a part. 

If you're neither good nor bad. 
You will be of little use. 

And you'll sometimes be very glad, 
At other times be morose. 

The character Jesus builds, 
By love's work within is made; 

Grows of itself until it fills, 
Turns to sunlight every shade. 

We are born for God to have — 
Not in sin, as some believe; 

All mankind for good does crave. 
When he learn it will relieve. 



LIFE'S REALITIES 159 

When we know of life the facts, 

Everything will then be plain; 
The motive of all our acts, 

If right, with Him we are slain. 

He taught love by the wayside. 
But it spread from heart to heart; 

He wanted it to abide, 

In each life to have a part. 

When it's in it will show out, 

All will aspiration watch; 
Till in the whole world about. 

The inspiration will catch. 

A new life with Him we live. 

Within each God is dwelling; 
The good in life it will give, 

He, through us, truth revealing. 



LET RIGHT DOING BE YOUR PRAYER 

Mr. Lincoln was asked one day. 
While the war was going on. 

Did you ever truly pray, 

For God on your side to come? 

No, madam, I never did. 
For that I would never do; 

You for this know how to bid. 
But I desire to be true. 

You know that God is all good, 
In truth will ever abide; 



160 LIFE'S REALITIES 

Ask Him that I never would, 
For you see I'm on his side. 

If you're ever on the side, 
That you cannot play it fair; 

You should not long there abide, 
Choose the other be your prayer. 



THE KEY TO HAPPINESS 

The simple life is best for all, 
It less care will bring to you ; 

And from a height you will not fall. 
If from earth you get your view. 

It is not natural to crush 
And to worry all the time; 

It's madness to be in a rush, 
In making the social climb. 

In society there is merit, 

Better let it drift to you. 
And then you drift quietly to it, 

Then you will be happy too. 

Gaining that for which you aspire. 
Among those you think "way up;" 

Of the whole you soon may tire. 
Or through them become corrupt. 

If you scorn the meek and humble, 
'Tis because you are misled; 

Do not strive and fret and grumble, 
List to what the best have said. 



LIFE'S REALITIES 161 

If you wish for the highest place, 

Earn it by taking the low, 
And then the joy that comes through grace 

Will within be sure to grow. 

You need not bend yourself lower, 

But raise all the weaker up, 
Striving not for place nor power. 

All with you will gladly sup. 

So then the world will brighter be, 

In each one you'll see a friend; 
All cares and worries lighter be. 

You for love need not contend. 



TO THE TEACHER 

Earnest teacher, we're with you, 
We give our child to your care; 

And to it you must be true. 

We'll the burden with you share. 

You must not too eager be, 
But calm in all your duties; 

The work you do is meagre. 
Study nature's subtleties. 

The child is a plant or weed, 
For you to direct and care; 

If you look out for the seed, 
The weeds may grow flowers rare. 

If you're wise as a serpent. 
And as harmless as a dove. 



162 LIFE'S REALITIES 

Your earnestness and intent 
Will then tempered be with love. 

While you are helping the child, 
You also are sure to grow; 

Teach them to be kind and mild, 
And you'll surely become so. 

Have faith, wisdom and kindness, 
Together they are needed; 

Without each life is blindness, 
They by us should be heeded. 

Education is not complete, 
In the teacher or the child; 

If in either we defeat 
And fail to be wise and mild. 



A BABY 

A baby can have heaps of fun 
Pretending this and that; 

It can sit still and have a run , 
Sticks can mean cat or rat. 

The little mind can fly away 
From where it sits to think ; 

With bird and lamb and fairy play, 
From sparkling waters drink. 

The 'tending of its little mind, 
Brings it in life the best; 

With it the baby always finds 
Its pleasure and its rest. 



LIFE'S REALITIES 163 

No matter what its toys may be, 

They to the child are more; 
In them, with mental fancy see 

Things worth while to adore. 

Without 'tending their life would be 

A dreary time indeed; 
They are happy with what they see, 

Until they learn to read. 

Then other's 'tending they think real, 

Their own 'tending they lose; 
It makes us sad, sometimes we feel, 

It's not a change to choose. 

Had we not better mix in life, 

The 'tending with the real? 
To be eager in every strife, 

And yet some pleasure feel. 

All that we see we should not want, 

By 'tending can enjoy; 
It may be best for us we can't — 

They may be but a toy. 

We may have enough now you see, 

To give lots of trouble; 
To have more we might worried be. 

Then give up the bubble. 

We can be earnest, it is true, 

And push things right along; 
But don't you think it's best for you, 

Help the child sing its song? 



164 LIFE'S REALITIES 

CHILDHOOD 

The growing child does habits form, 
It gets it from environment; 

And does not keep the good in mind, 
Because they have no judgment. 

They to revenge their parents teach, 
Because they do that to him; 

Instead of loving them to reach, 
And right the error within. 

It isn't naturally bad, we know, 
They are better than the best; 

With them Jesus taught us to show, 
Like them to have love and trust. 

Their little lives are like wee buds, 
Try to grow and blossom out; 

They want to do the thing that's good, 
But cannot bring it about. 

Their elders know it all, they think, 
They expect to get fair play; 

That sure will forge the loving link, 
Binding to the better way. 

If you would have your own child true. 
You yourself must that way be; 

The act, the word, the love in you, 
It will also grow to see. 

It does not know the toy is weak. 
Or that dirt and noise are bad, 

But show it the things it should seek, 
And then you will make it glad. 



LIFE'S REALITIES 165 

FOR THE YOUNG 

Little acts through love you do, 

Little deeds of kindness; 
Will help us all to be true, 

Cure the sinner's blindness. 

If you have a child to start, 

What of else he possess; 
If politeness you impart, 

It will bring him success. 

It's the little things we do, 

Speaking the gentle word; 
Telling always what is true; 

In low voice to be heard. 

How the young sometimes go wrong, 

Get the selfish idea; 
Think they are so big and strong. 

Brag about all they see. 

Begin big I to suppress, 

Don't think too much of you; 
May later have to confess, 

To something that's untrue. 

Lots are living, do you know, 

That know as much as you? 
Try to be all that you show. 

Prove to all you are true. 

Be exact in every word, 
Tell of the good you find; 



166 LIFE'S REALITIES 

Give to others their reward, 
Pay your debts and be kind. 

Do all of these and be mild, 
Do not harm those ahead; 

There's nothing in being wild, 
Be true and kind instead. 

Do not fight for all your rights, 
There's nothing to be gained; 

Far better lose all your fights, 
Than have rights thus sustained. 

Remember what Jesus said, 
You'll find he lived it too; 

If psychology you've read, 
Find it all to be true. 

You get most by taking less. 
Give a chance to others; 

You can be strong too I guess, 
When all are your brothers. 

It isn't much to step aside, 
When it nothing costs you ; 

Kindness will in you abide. 
You to all will be true. 



NEVER FEAR 

While you're living keep your nerve. 
Don't let big things scare you ; 

Always keep much in reserve, 
That will sure pull you through. 



LIFE'S REALITIES 167 

There is no place for the blues, 

In your heart have good cheer; 
The cheerful mood helps to choose, 

The bright and drop the fear. 

Though the clouds appear today, 

There is no cause to fret; 
You can get the brighter ray, 

If the light don't forget. 

Spirit of good works for thee. 

To bring out all things right; 
It's best for you and for me, 

Trust this will, through our night. 

It's not what for God we do, 

But what He's done for us; 
Get to know this to be true. 

Then you it all will trust. 

You'll have better time than Christ, 

They're more tolerant now; 
He suffered to show you this. 

We should his life avow. 

Dry your tears and get busy. 

Help others work it out; 
Be not the one that's fussy. 

Be strong in every doubt. 

We won't murmur or complain, 

To mar what God has done; 
But try always to retain. 

The trust love has begun. 



168 LIFE'S REALITIES 

BEAUTIES OF A NAGGING HOME 

Oh, it is nice to have a home, 
Though it may stormy be; 

'Tis better far than being alone, 
What hell is like you can see. 

It sure will make you big and strong, 
If you have the worst in life; 

In yourself to correct the wrong, 
Then try to allay the strife. 

So keep it up and struggle on, 
Let the good in you increase. 

Do not then the trouble prolong, 
You may sometime get some peace. 

It all depends how we take it. 
It may work for weal or woe; 

We never can get the merit, 
Unless we overcome, you know. 

Heaven we may never enjoy, 
Till we've had a little hell; 

If we for good our thoughts employ, 
And on love and kindness dwell. 

There is no good that we can have, 
But it will show something bad; 

There is no use to talk and rave, 
Nor give up to being sad. 

So take life as you may find it, 
Accept it all in pleasure, 

And never mind the wear and grind. 
In your heart store your treasure. 



LIFE'S REALITIES 169 

THE DOCTOR 

The doctor in ages past, 

Was good and also bad ; 
He did little that will last, 

And much to make us sad. 

Crude ideas he had at first, 

Like the rest of mankind, 
Always happened to be worst 

On most subjects you'll find. 

The medicine man did try 

To tie all to his cult; 
His ignorance he did ply, 

But didn't get the result, 

Man has had a dreadful fear, 

For years it has been fed; 
Absurd fancies he did hear, 

Till scared he sought his bed. 

Medicine men were his hope, 

The wise he would not hear ; 
He was anxious for the dope 

That would long keep him here. 

And many even to this day 

Will push the business side, 
Not knowing it didn't pay 

Yourself to so deride. 

When he began to do good, 
And did science command. 



170 LIFE'S REALITIES 

Gave to all the best he could, 
They still withheld their hand. 

Surgeons perfect every cut, 
M. D.'s should do their best; 

Study, think, avoid the rut, 
And do all with a zest. 

They classed him with men of old, 
He for himself did work; 

They could not see what he told 
Was for them not to shirk. 

What a noble thought we show 
The best for all to do, 

In goodness and science grow. 
To us and all be true. 

Life we know is very short. 
We must within build up ; 

In our work and in our sport, 
Please pass the loving cup. 

The true love you then will get, 
And in your manhood rise. 

When on earth your sun has set. 
What you've done man will prize. 



A HAUGHTY CHURCH MEMBER 

When religion makes you haughty, 
And binds you to a clique; 

In your life you'll be naughty, 
Cut others to the quick. 



LIFE'S REALITIES 171 

Love isn't partial or formal, 

It has a standard high; 
High enough to think of all, 

And loves to have them nigh. 

Can't you see you must be wrong? 

Can't you, your mind release? 
Have more love to make you strong, 

That will bring greatest peace. 

What is right grows you humble. 

Give social hearts to all; 
It removes all your grumble, 

Enables to love the small. 

You're missing the greatest joy, 

When you, yourself place high ; 
When things of church you employ. 

To cause a brother's sigh. 

You serve God helping others, 

Not by words in a prayer; 
That's the truth Jesus utters, 

Showed kindness everywhere. 

You know we'll all soon be dead, 

Our chance to love will end ; 
Of death we will have no dread, 

If in love we contend. 

The soul love we have become. 

Will meet love everywhere; 
It will go on helping some. 

Love grows more over there. 



172 LIFE'S REALITIES 

We should now get together, 
Enlarge our hearts and minds ; 

To include every brother, 
With him grow love that binds. 

You think God being in you? 

Could ever haughty be? 
Not to all ever be true, 

Good in all He would see. 



MAKE STRAIGHT THE PATH 

Are you weary of the strife. 
All the fuss, fret and flurry? 

Do the ups and downs of life, 
Give you excuse for worry? 

You must not trouble borrow, 
There's a brighter side to see; 

If you give up to sorrow. 
You can never better be. 

So it's up to you, my friend — 
Ponder on it long and well — 

That your life so far amend, 

That you'll ne'er in darkness dwell. 

If you wish the brighter view, 
Know that love, will cure sorrow; 

All your days it will renew, 

No more trouble will you borrow. 

Sound your note and get in tune, 
With the truths that are the best; 



LIFE'S REALITIES 173 

Sorrow will o'ercome you soon, 
Love and kindness will bring rest. 

If you live where all is dark, 

And the bright side never see, 
You will dwindle to a spark, 

And in gloom will ever be. 

Love will surely drive you on, 

'Twill create anew your life; 
With the old past dead and gone, 

You'll be free from grief and strife. 

For the COMFORTER will come, 

Like dew falling from above; 
He will quietly make room 

For the joys that grow from love. 



THE TRUTH SHALL MAKE YOU FREE 

Crime is a disease of the mind, 

We now well understand; 
The one idea is fixed, we find, 

The one does man command. 

The man that steals horses or sheep. 

Other things will not steal; 
Of it he will promise and weep. 

How useless to appeal! 

And are we not diseased also. 

When one idea we get? 
When we love church or party so. 

Against the rest be set. 



174 LIFE'S REALITIES 

These our pity arouse of course, 
We would not have it so; 

We should each other reinforce, 
For all kind actions show. 

Get rid of any one idea, 
And strive to think of all. 

Take truth wherever it may be, 
And only for it call. 

To be in a bundle may hurt, 
And yet may be the best; 

If we for truth will be alert, 
In it we shall find rest. 

We must somehow get together. 

The best in all to see; 
With things that part us not bother. 

But all most friendly be. 

We'll no longer then be crazy, 
But get the mind that's strong; 

On best thoughts we won't be hazy, 
Stand for right, not for wrong. 

You grow crazy from hazy thought, 
Not when the mind is clear; 

Wholesome ideas in you are wrought, 
Heaven to you is near. 



GETTING HAPPINESS 

These times and all other times, 
Are products of the past; 



LIFE'S REALITIES 175 

Whether the good or the crimes, 
The results then were cast. 

What we reap some must have sown, 

To bring it all about; 
Results they may not have known, 

But life has brought them out. 

Its interest centers in us. 

We with it have a part; 
We had better it discuss, 

Better things try to start. 

Learn that God is a spirit, 

Honesty is as well; 
Good you cannot inherit, 

In our hearts it should dwell. 

Then in your brain grow a will, 

Of knowledge fill it full; 
Best for all you should instill, 

Keep mind from being dull. 

Let each be true to a cent, 

All character upbuild; 
Have words convey what is meant. 

Let truth be always told. 

We must all be strictly true, 

In word, in thought, in deed; 
Let kindness be part of you, 

Give each the thought they need. 

When our minds are firmly set, 
To do the things we should. 



176 LIFE'S REALITIES 

The best on earth we will get, 
Bring to us all that's good. 

Then all times will be good times, 
The future will be bright; 

The present will have no crimes. 
When all do what is right. 



THE STUCK-UP 

The stuck-up is a menace, 
For all man's further progress; 

He is to the human race, 
What weeds are to garden sass. 

'Tis better that men in a rut, 
Ignore them (as they should). 

Take no notice of their strut, 
'Twould do them lots of good. 

We must not let other men. 
By their pretense of greatness; 

Keep us shut up in a pen, 
To think on our littleness. 

For we all equal, and free, 

And of life should have a part; 

He that's great should servant be, 
To give each one a start. 

A Church member you may be. 
Or a Christian by consent; 

Yet can't you, my brother, see, 
You're judged by your intent. 



LIFE'S REALITIES 177 

Any name that you may bear, 

Or attitude you may strike, 
May increase your brother's care, 

And between you build a dyke. 

Man's inhumanity does 

Make countless thousands mourn; 
If he could show he all loves, 

It would be a happy turn. 

Then do not be a stuck-up, 

Or a man of little mind; 
Let us pass the loving cup. 

And get right by being kind. 



THE NEW STANDPOINT 

You know that man in animal, 
Gets the breed that's best; 

Killing the hateful and small, 
And saving all the rest. 

But with man the other do — 

He killed off all the best. 
If knowledge he did pursue. 

He killed to save the worst. 

You can see then why it is true, 

Man is slow to progress; 
Why the thought that's sane but new, 

So very few possess. 

We can't kill off as of old. 
But can hurt their business; 



178 LIFE'S REALITIES 

\\c can sympathy withhold, 
And check their eagerness. 

The saw, "Safety in numbers," 
Has ruled the world too long; 

To wake it from its slumbers, 
Must not be thought a wrong. 

It courage takes to stand alone. 
To give the better view; 

To burn as martyrs have done, 
Yet to the truth hang true. 

The world won't be without them, 
Its progress is assured; 

The law of life will give men 
Strength to show what's absurd. 

You need inside love to have, 
To correct wilfulness; 

And let God in you reside, 
And you'll get His likeness. 



KINDNESS 

As I was walking down the street, 

I overtook a friend; 
Smiles of pleasure each other greet, 

Shows that kindness will blend. 

Then an old man walking alone, 
His back with age did bend; 

To help him I did not postpone, 
I found kindness would blend. 



LIFE'S REALITIES 179 

Clerk made a mistake with my hat, 

I asked him it to mend; 
The pleasant way he did all that, 

I learned kindness would blend. 

The glasses I sold came apart, 

Broke itself they contend; 
I was pleased to repair the part, 

I'm sure kindness did blend. 

You get trouble of any kind, 

Kind thoughts to others send; 
You will be sure, I think, to find. 

All of kindness will blend. 

In your business or in your work. 

It matters what you send; 
Nothing that's kind or friendly shirk, 

You'll find kindness will blend. 

When you in society do play. 

For rights do not contend; 
If you gentle ways do display, 

You'll find kindness will blend. 

We should never be at all rude. 

Try no one to offend; 
Let the pleasant thoughts in you brood, 

Then find kindness will blend. 

Jesus was sure of this, I know, 

Looked upon all as friend; 
The gentle ways He tried to show. 

Believed that it would blend. 



180 LIFE'S REALITIES 

BE YE DOERS 

Of their religion some must talk, 

And argue all the time; 
They like to tell us how to walk, 

And how to keep in line. 
They fight for what they think is right, 

And for the Bible stand. 
And from its fountains say they drink 

Of all that's good and grand. 

There's some would even die to show 

How they revere the church ; 
And customs held from long ago 

Preclude a further search. 
They say that all must walk by faith, 

And never hold a doubt; 
Yet on the whole it seems to me 

They've worn their dogma out. 

For men may talk and fight and die. 

And yet not better be; 
'Tis love alone for which all sigh, 

E'en though they darkly see. 
Let your life show what you possess, 

'Tis not for splitting hairs; 
Give up that life to love's caress. 

Put heart into your prayers. 

The truth alone can make us free. 
And if we look and live. 

The truth that we must brothers be, 
Must satisfaction give; 



LIFE'S REALITIES 181 

And when we our lives lay down, 

And spirit takes its flight, 
We shall indeed receive a crown^ 

The crown of truth and right. 



CHOOSE YE THIS DAY 

Love and hate your life divide, 
Which of them will you take? 

One makes the other subside, 
It's you the choice must make. 

On hate do you love to dwell? 

Think only of the bad? 
Of some little scandal tell, 

To make another sad? 

Look always on the dark side? 

Look always for the worst? 
Not encourage but deride? 

And bring to all a curse? 

Then you're surely in the wrong. 
It's the brute life you live; 

Cheer up! Sing another song, 
Better thoughts you should give. 

Can't you see it's better far. 

To live the other way? 
Let love be your ruling star, 

Kind things to do and say. 

If you choose the loving way, 
You will again be born ; 



182 LIFE'S REALITIES 

Old things all will pass away, 
From hate you will be shorn. 

You will no more live to sin, 
Mistakes j'ou will correct; 

You for others will begin 
To make them hate reject. 

The race may be long and hard, 
But you to win are sure; 

If all hate you will discard, 
Kindness will make you pure. 



HOW TO LIVE 

A man was taken to the wood, 
A horse thief he proved to be; 

To be lynched to make him good, 
That others the right might sec. 

But when they were throwing the rope, 
A preacher asked a chance be given; 

That he might pray to give him hope, 
Of landing him in heaven. 

\A'h:it you ask you do not know, 
^Ve know our man, why ask us? 

How can he to heaven go. 
When he isn't fit for Texas? 

It's useless of heaven to talk, 
Better get the truth you can; 

In love and good with all to walk, 
Fit yourself for Michigan. 



LIFE'S REALITIES 183 

LIFT UP YOUR EYES 

Life is a constant mixture, 

Of sunshine and of shadow; 
One will become a fixture, 

If we the other forego. 

Shun the shadow then we should, 

And keep the sunshine alway; 
It will bring the greatest good, 

Happy things to do and say. 

We may be born, as is said, 

By certain stars to be ruled; 
If we followed what is read, 

We would certainly get fooled. 

Do not let the stars rule you; 

But wake up, begin your part, 
Defy all signs, but be true, 

By yourself decide to start. 

Call you the shadow sunshine, 

Wait for time to make it right ; 
Everything will come out fine. 

If we keep the outlook bright. 

It's not right for us to w'eep, 

When the sunshine is so near; 
Get the merry heart to keep, 

The sun will shine, do not fear. 

The great plan we are under, 
Will be sure to see us through; 



184 LIFE'S REALITIES 

If you keep the thoughts tender, 
All nature will strengthen you. 

Get in touch with the ages, 
With the spirit that came through ; 

You'll find that all the sages, 
Thought the sunshine best for you. 



LIFE WORK 

In terms of life let us think. 
From eternity get light; 

We while viewing from its brink, 
May not know wrong nor right. 

Every man is- a teacher, 
Whether he would be or not; 

The layman and the preacher, 
The nobleman and the sot. 

If we want to have the best, 
Have others share it too, 

We should get up a contest. 
Kind things to say and do. 

Be patient with your brother. 
And force him not too much; 

He gets it from the other, 
Let him the spirit catch. 

If we all did what we should. 
Teaching would be direct; 

If we never do the good. 
Others may shun tlie wreck. 



LIFE'S REALITIES 185 

Do not be too hard on sin, 

It's bad getting better; 
Let him the first step begin, 

The rest will be easier. 

You cannot drive love away. 

Nor hurry it along; 
'Tis here in the world to stay, 

All will at last "catch on." 

The world will then be heaven. 

The true life will be seen; 
Kindness to all will be given. 

All know what others mean. 



HAPPY LIFE 

Our life should be a happy one, 

Free from every worry; 
Let every thought and deed that's done, 

Keep from being sorry. 

It is not what's going to be. 

That keeps us in a fret; 
It's the trouble we think we see, 

But we will never get. 

The only time that's sure to be 

For enjoyment is now; 
The ever-present now you see, 

Has all we can allow. 

With gratitude we should be filled. 
Instead of repining; 



186 LIFE'S REALITIES 

Within get thankfulness instilled, 
For our heart's refining. 

Then we will not our joy delay, 
Begin at once to live; 

The happy life for every day, 
The pleasant word to give. 



OPPORTUNITY 

Can you think of a word. 
That will ease pain a bit, 

That will gladly be heard? 
Then 'tis best to say it. 

Can you do a kind deed, 
That will others uplift? 

When for love their souls plead? 
Then 'tis best to do it. 

Can you think of a letter, 
For a long time unwrit? 

Gloomy thoughts it may scatter, 
And 'tis well to write it. 

Do you know a sweet song. 

Or of music a bit, 
Which would help men along? 

Then you'd better sing it. 

Do you kindness withhold. 

To be grateful omit? 
It's a debt, not of gold. 

But you'd better pay it. 



LIFE'S REALITIES 187 

Does bad temper in you, 

Compel all to submit? 
Are your friends but a few? 

You had better cure it. 

Are there humors in life, 

Which keep causing a rift? 
Be you husband or wife, 

You had much better quit. 

If you men criticize, 

You will cause love to flit ; 
Good's the ultimate prize. 

And you'd better gain it. 

Do you feel for others. 

And good thought-waves transmit? 
Do you love your brothers? 

Then you'd better look it. 

If we give of our best, 

Naught but good deeds commit; 
They'll come back with a zest. 

And we're glad we did it. 



THE MELTING POT 

You must think over the ideas, 
Of society you may have; 

You can't think of it as you please, 
But give all that it may crave. 

The individual is great, 
When to others he is true. 



188 LIFE'S REALITIES 

Learn how to search and not create, 
Study then to get their view. 

Man always had, and he has now, 
The germ of ail that is good; 

You can the good in him allow, 
Help it to grow as it should. 

We should not hedge him all about. 
With petty ways of doing; 

Ever help him to blossom out, 
Not hurt him by our wooing. 

There's the Syrian and the Turk, 
Chinaman and the Dago; 

Good in them as in you does lurk. 
Have patience with what they show. 

When you meet them do you not feel, 
There is a germ of something 

Binds you to them like hoops of steel. 
Urging you the good to bring? 

Do not forget the melting pot, 
Into it we all should get; 

To them remember it is hot, 
If we alone are the good. 

If we mingle our lives with theirs, 
And together live it out, 

We all with them will be the heirs, 
To what love will bring about. 

Do not tease them nor misdirect, 
Let your heart get in their hearts; 



LIFE'S REALITIES 189 

In you there are things to correct, 
You can help them pkiy their parts. 

The great purpose on earth for all, 

Is to water living seeds; 
Is but for all, the great and small, 

To fill life with kindly deeds. 



SUNDAY 

It's the day that's set apart, 

To rest and recreate; 
Our minds to make more alert, 

And get them running straight. 

Man through his love for others. 
Considered kindly ways, 

To encourage his brothers, 
With better thought arrays. 

The good to all that did come, 
It seemed to work so well, 

God, being personal to some, 
To keep the day did tell. 

The world's motive being good, 

And God that motive is ; 
And that which tends upward could 

Be but blessing of His. 

So God did give us the day, 
Through man loving the man ; 

It's the highest to obey. 
Love will do all it can. 



190 LIFE'S REALITIES 

We should always use it then, 
Kind things to do and say; 

With our thought or deed or pen, 
Let us drive hate away. 

Let Sunday and every day, 
And all the time we have, 

Be to help us on our way. 
For love and kindness crave. 

With our thoughts we drink it in, 
With our minds try to know, 

How to get heaven within. 
More love in us to grow. 



DEATH 

How the thought of lying dead— 
The parting it will bring, 

Startles us, and is a dread 
To every human being. 

Other life may pass away, 
Without a show of fear; 

Falls asleep in nature's way, 
No terror does appear. 

Can we not the lesson learn, 
To take death as we should? 

And see what comes to everyone, 
Must then be wholly good. 

Should we fear when shadows fall, 
When our life's end draws near? 



LIFE'S REALITIES 191 

That Great Love that shelters all, 
Must drive away our fear. 

Fear not what the future holds, 

Nor what the prize may be ; 
For that Love which all enfolds. 

Will surely care for thee. 



BROTHERHOOD 

Nearer our fellows be, 

Nearer to see 
What lies within their hearts 

Of love for me. 
Let all our discord flee, 
That men may nearer be, 

Nearer to be. 

Though we are strangers here. 

Singing our song, 
Give we our fellows cheer, 

Help them along. 
Then let our heart-cries be. 
Nearer may all men be, 

Nearer to be. 

When our hearts droop in woe. 

And we are sad, 
Yet in our loneliness, 

Friends make us glad. 
So through our woes are we 
Drawn by a friend to be 

Nearer to be. 



192 LIFE'S REALITIES 

So we shall happy be, 
Through comrade-love, 

Singing most gleefully 
Of things above. 

And we shall ever be, 

Nearer the cross — and be, 
Nearer to be. 

One cannot honor God 

By praise alone, 
Hold thou thy brother's hand, 

Help thou His own. 
Then through the clouds we'll see 
His smile and earnest plea, 

"Nearer to Me." 



LOVE YOUR ENEMIES 

It is not good to pick a flaw, 

In everything about us; 
Or probe a wound when it is raw, 

Never try to make a fuss. 

An enemy we must not make, 
Their good will let us prefer; 

We ever should the hate forsake, 
Hate in others to deter. 

To live in any hateful mood. 

Will be a dangerous way; 
Give balm from out the heart that's good. 

Than for meanness to display. 

You can poison the air about. 
Also sweeten it as well. 



LIFE'S REALITIES J93 

By the kind of thoughts you give out, 
And the things you do and tell. 

Our minds are ever pushing out, 

To drive hate away it tries; 
To bring the gladsome time about, 

Peace to rule beneath the skies. 

The great mind of the universe, 

In harmony come we should; 
It makes for good and not for worse, 

Then you'll grow toward the good. 

To what it brings open your mind, 

Consider well what you know; 
Such beauty in it you will find, 

It's the way you'll care to grow. 

The hateful, dreaded, foolish fear. 

You had better now omit; 
Think of the good that's ever near, 

And then begin to live it. 



CIVIC HYMN 

(Tune, "America") 
Grand Rapids, we love thee, 
Always true you may be. 

In word and deed. 
Thy valley can be seen. 
Thy hills are ever green. 
Thy streets are always clean. 

You will succeed. 



194 LIFE'S REALITIES 

Thy purpose, we are sure, 
Good for all to secure, 

Thy aim is high. 
In thee we take our place, 
With thee thy problems face, 
Try error to erase, 

Love will be nigh. 

What we have give to all, 
Ever>'where have it fall, 

The world to bless. 
May our country prosper, 
What is right all prefer. 
No confusion occur; 

But God to trust. 

We should all loving be. 
The best in all to see, 

Do what is best. 
We good of others tell, 
All as friends ever dwell. 
Wish for all what is well, 

In kindness rest. 

FRIENDSHIP 

Friendships form in the best. 
In minds that have come true; 

God in that finds His rest. 
The best that man grows to. 

Greater love has no one. 
Than to die for a friend; 

In the act that is done. 
Has the good to commend. 



LIFE'S REALITIES 195 

The inner life of man, 

The heart of his being, 
Is the eternal plan; 

Its heaven revealing. 

Hearts filled with gratitude. 

Are ones that are at peace; 
They fill the neighborhood, 

With the truth they release. 

When man's growing a friend, 

The best in him comes out, 
And souls without an end. 

He's growing all about. 

What a beautiful aim. 

For a mortal to have; 
After death it's the same. 

Forever grow more love. 



NERVOUSNESS 

You think your condition serious. 
To self all attention you give; 

Growing all the time more nervous, 
'Cause you do not know how to live. 

You talk very loud all the time, 
Little troubles you magnify; 

Anxious to be swell with the crowd, 
But even that doesn't satisfy. 

Now here, I want to talk to you, 
Think well on what I have to say; 



196 LIFE'S REALITIES 

I give it freely, but it's true, 
It will help you in every way. 

This world was here long before you, 
You were brought forth by its spirit ; 

There is nothing for you to do, 
But come in harmony with it. 

Speaking always in a low voice, 
Of yourself be sure not to speak; 

Let good in others be your choice, 
What you want to be, in all seek. 

This universe can make no noise, 
Can you not this harmony see; 

Study its greatness and its poise, 
Tr\' in this harmony to be. 

Harmony is in all you see, 
But you do not the lesson heed ; 

Force yourself this condition to be, 
Take the good in the world you need. 

There is nothing you see that's wrong, 
But the attitude that you take; 

Changing yourself will make you strong, 
"What irritates we should forsake. 

The universe is in God's care, 
The spirit of good will control; 

You of this good will have a share, 
AVhon you this good possess as soul. 



LIFE'S REALITIES 197 

Hell, you know, is but the discord, 

In life with others we create; 
Then let us all with one accord, 

Begin this good to radiate. 



THE RELIGION OF THE FUTURE 

The religion of the future, 
Must have friendship for its base; 

As man shall become more mature, 
Past discords he will erase. 

The diversities of the past, 
Have given him mental spur; 

But this forever cannot last, 

Great minds will friendship prefer. 

If but one church, there could have been, 
Mind could never have advanced; 

Its ideas would have controlled them. 
It his life would have entranced. 

As gymnastics to grow his mind, 

Different sects he did need; 
Not the fear of death will him bind, 

But his brother's good to heed. 

Mankind can never be healthy, 

In his mind and body too; 
Nor ever get to be wealthy, 

Unless he forms friendships true. 

He cannot in life get the best. 
Without some friends tried and true; 



198 LIFE'S REALITIES 

Making friends should be his contest, 
It's the best thing he can do. 

From the future many will come, 
That want to us to be friends; 

Will we be ready when they come, 
For the past to make amends? 

We cannot get heaven alone, 
It's with our friends we it grow ; 

Must do the things that Christ has done, 
The friendly seeds we must sow. 

No greater love has any man 
Than give his life for a friend; 

You see it's the eternal plan, 
Can we not it comprehend? 

Grow through the little to the large, 
Reach the climax of it all; 

When we our duty thus discharge, 
We won't care for Adam's fall. 



HOW MAN IS MADE 

Through nature's laws our body comes, 

By it it is sustained; 
All its functions muscles and bones. 

By food and work maintained. 

We get in the same way our mind. 

By living this life out; 
We use it, we feed it and find. 

It grows without a doubt. 



LIFE'S REALITIES 199 

The body's change will come to all, 

The mind to soul will go; 
These bodies to earth will all fall, 

The soul will upward grow. 

But how do we the soul obtain? 

It follows law also; 
Doesn't love and kindness it maintain, 

Feed it and make it grow? 

With our body and mind at work, 

Grace or strength is given, 
To drive out all of self that lurk, 

Changes our hell to heaven. 

The soul is the spirit or God, 

Dwelling within our breast; 
It is the everlasting good, 

The part of man that's best. 

Then the soul's good should be our care, 

Our fellow man to love; 
With him all of our pleasures share. 

That all may live above. 

Where harmony is, souls will grow. 

But discord destroys it; 
And love is the fruit it will show. 

If we but allow it. 

THINK FOR YOURSELF 

Thinking cannot but strengthen the mind, 
The same as action does muscle; 



200 LIFE'S REALITIES 

Kind acts will be sure to grow you kind, 
Sure as strength comes through a tussle. 

You can never grow through another; 

And your body cannot get strong, 
Through the exercise of a brother 

If he eats what to you belong. 

You will lose out if I think for you, 
Your mind will become very weak; 

Do you through another being true, 
Get all the good that you should seek? 

In the world there is diversity. 
That we our thinking might increase; 

This for you is a necessity, 

Or growth of mind in you would cease. 

There's enough in life surely to see, 
To give you a sensible view; 

Then led bj' others, why should you be, 
Thus neglect your mind to renew? 

Get down to business and learn the plan. 
By which this universe is run; 

You will have more love for God and man, 
Your joy in life will be begun. 

The different religious ideas. 

Act as gymnastics, you will find; 

Man's highest interests arc in these. 
Tease each other to grow a mind. 

Don't let them stop your religious talk, 
Butt up against the other fellow; 



LIFE'S REALITIES 201 

You'll very soon find the way to walk, 
Understand what others swallow. 

Take up your cross then and choose your way, 
Strike out for love and what is right; 

No matter who to you may say nay, 
Go ahead, but keep good in sight. 

Come ye out from among the thoughtless, 
Hoe your own row the best you can; 

The whole creation helps you in this. 
Wants you to become a God man. 



THE OLD AND THE NEW WORSHIP 

To serve God in the old way, 
Has helped man a good deal ; 

It kept them soothed for their day, 
Because they thought it real. 

Not to think, but ought to feel, 

An emotion within; 
This to them was very real, 

Their part was not to sin. 

Their idea was submission, 

But a worm of the dust; 
Feel badly through contrition. 

Do nothing but to trust. 

This did grow many people, 

With character sublime; 
Gathered beneath the steeple, 

To talk of God and crime. 



202 LIFE'S REALITIES 

But at the bottom was fear, 

Or a duty to do; 
They thought God's wrath very near, 

Satan them did pursue. 

They couldn't big and noble grow, 
God as love they couldn't see; 

As babes to Him they couldn't go, 
Have mercy was their plea. 

That did, until he had brain, 
To understand it more; 

Knowledge did him farther train. 
Sees clearer than before. 

He sees in life peace is best, 
That kindness will help all; 

If it on earth gives us rest, 
Must be the spirit's call. 

Spirit doesn't a body need. 
Separate from what we have; 

It is in us as in seed, 
To grow us love to crave. 

We see God lives best through us, 

His purpose to fulfil; 
It is not so much to trust. 

As to become this will. 

You must let spirit fill you. 
You to the will give in, 



LIFE'S REALITIES 203 

And your fears then will be few, 
Know nothing more of sin. 

In your God drop all the hate, 

See Him all love instead; 
Then you will not hesitate. 

By this love to be led. 

Kindly things you'll say and do, 

Be manly at your task; 
You to all will become true. 

For the truth you will ask. 



COME, LET US REASON TOGETHER 

Heavenly thoughts grow no lunatics, 
A healthy body doesn't either; 

Wrong ideas with all of their antics, 
Will also give help to neither. 

First to know will help us in belief, 
God giveth us wisdom, you know; 

If we study hard leaf after leaf, 
We may find the things that are so. 

As we think in the higher realm, 
Faith is added to our knowledge; 

Small things in life won't us o'erwhelm. 
But to peace our lives we will pledge. 

The body and mind will then be strong. 
To faithfully trust in the good; 



204 LIFE'S REALITIES 

See that kindness can never be wrong, 
Become loving then as we should. 

Many diseases will flee away, 
All weaknesses we will discard; 

We will know the laws we should obey. 
Become gentle instead of hard. 

Now all the world groaneth together. 
Awaiting the appearance of love; 

Birds and beasts want man for a brother, 
God wants all His likeness to have. 

Be calm when God you're trying to know, 
He wants to reason what is true; 

God can never Himself to you show, 
When false ideas get into you. 

The spirit of love will come to you. 
Like the gentle falling of dew; 

It will grow in you that which is true. 
Your mind will be calm through and 
through. 

It's the absurd that makes you crazy, 
By filling you with wrong ideas; 

You will never grow to be hazy, 
If you see life as Jesus sees. 

Know God is around and about you. 
In growth and in the mind of man; 

He is everything that's right to do. 
Bring all the harmony you can. 



LIFE'S REALITIES 205 

GET THE THOUGHT 

The rhymes are crude, the thoughts are new, 

To make you think is my aim; 
If your criticisms be few, / 

It would be a greater shame. 

Mind grows by thinking about things. 

Never by falling into line; 
You'll only see the good it brings. 

When what you think does refine. 

No two of us are built alike, 

Nor can we all think the same; 
If I can but know what you like, 

Helps me true to you remain. 

If you but think, you'll get somewhere, 
Your thoughts help me and mine you; 

You grow when you your thoughts declare, 
By comparison find what's true. 

What is true now is wrong tomorrow. 

Tied up we should never be; 
To change should cause us no sorrow, 

Get more joy when better see. 

Give out your thoughts for all to know, 

Get the thoughts of your brother ; 
But not the words through which they show, 

Are things with which to bother. 

CONTRADICTIONS 

The world was made in six days or ages. 
It was a million years a-growing; 



206 LIFE'S REALITIES 

Six thousand years ago is on pages, 

Eg>'pt mummies twice as old are showing, 

God grew the grass before He did the sun, 
Without the sun nothing now can grow; 

Man lost a rib that woman might come, 
But he has now all his ribs to show. 

Man mustn't murder, God helps him that to do, 
God is love, but sin punishes and hat^s; 

God is a spirit and a person too, 

Heaven is a spiritual home with gates. 

God is the same, never changes liis way, 
Does no wonders but did years ago; 

The prodigal you know came home to stay. 
Shows mercy if humility show. 

God was sorry He ever did us make, 

Formed man upright, but he sin did find; 

He would have us fear and before Him quake, 
To praise Him forever and be kind. 

God made everything, to us they will tell. 
Everything grows as we now see; 

Everything that he made He said was well, 
But man became a sinner to be. 

Pain does not exist, but God ordered it, 
God will show mercy, but will be just; 

What He wanted man can never share it. 
Give an account of deeds, but must trust. 

Mind grew the body and must for it care, 
The body is first to come we find; 



LIFE'S REALITIES 207 

We get the mind when we the whole life share, 
But soul's, spirit God added to mind. 

God's way is best, He will change if you pray, 
He is great, we are worms of the dust; 

He would be with us in our work or play, 
He rules on high to watch how we trust. 

You have character like Jesus to form, 

Get it, then you a sinner must be; 
It is a filthy rag that's in you born, 

With that it is hell you have to see. 

Little children are what He'd have us be. 
He sent two bears to eat forty-two; 

What's good in others we all should see, 
He writes down all the evil we do. 

We must for the cross be willing to fight. 
Love our neighbors, with them live in peace; 

God is strict, hates sin and will show His might, 
As Father loves and our sins release. 

Chooses some for heaven and some for hell, 

But He is no respecter of person; 
Peace on earth, good will to men we must tell, 

Have strong faith, but use not your reason. 

Christ started a church, I belong to it, 
God's kingdom is in the heart of man ; 

Worship Him in church, but also spirit, 
But bring to man all the good you can. 

God as a father you ever must fear. 
Fear not, I can always be with you; 



208 LIFE'S REALITIES 

He will all your prayers be sure to hear, 
You answer them yourself if you're true. 

You tell of Christ's love by talking of crime, 
Love will conquer evil, is gospel; 

In speaking the evil spend all of your time, 
Li\e in sin, trust God to keep you well. 

You will be saved if you only believe, 
Belong to our church you will find Christ; 

You the gospel for yourself must receive. 
God so loved the world if man would trust. 

You must pray for the good while living bad, 
For pretence pray, but cheat your brother; 

Be a cheerful Christian, but keep others sad, 
Keep Sabbath for your sins to cover. 

Fight for God, turn the other cheek, Christ said, 
It was His death that will bring reform ; 

We must all accept the debt Jesus paid. 
The love He taught will us transform. 

What a shame for you thus to be muddled, 

On such a very vital question; 
In your mind you've become befuddled. 

May call it religious indigestion. 

Better get your ideas all straightened out. 
The plan of life you had getter get; 

See what God is trying to bring about, 
To follow that let your mind be set. 



LIFE'S REALITIES 209 

LIVE TRUE 

Man's thoughts are strangely given, 

Why, it is hard to tell; 
Some are longing for heaven, 

But in life act like hell. 

Life's full of contradiction, 

The mind has yet to grow; 
It is not an infliction. 

Laws of life have it so. 

The wrong often seems the right, 

It satisfies us well. 
Until we get some more light. 

Then of that we will tell. 

Some boys were asked of heaven, 

By their teacher one day; 
She thought a chance be given, 

To see what they would say. 

Raise your hands that I may know! 

They all raised them but one; 
Don't you want to heaven go, 

Not yet, replied the son. 

Thus we go blundering on. 

Not getting what is true; 
Failing heaven to become, 

To get right through and through. 

It is kindly to become. 
Not a place we must go; 



210 LIFE'S REALITIES 

Within you get God's kingdom, 
To that we all must grow. 

Every downfall helps you more, 
To bring you nearer peace; 

When the struggle all is o'er, 
What hinders you'll release. 

To good and self must be true, 
Get rid of all our hate; 

Then heaven will be in you, 
You good will radiate. 



MENTAL HYGIENE 

Four hundred thousand are crazy, 
In this healthful land of ours; 

Many more minds are very hazy. 
Cannot use their mental powers. 

They listen to what's being said, 
Become more and more complext; 

Follow thoughts of others instead, 
On life themselves to reflect. 

Mental hygiene is mind to know, 
Keeps it sane and useful too; 

That in it no freak thoughts may show, 
How it may be lost to you. 

Healthful foods keep the body strong, 
Right thoughts will do that for mind; 

Hedging between the right and wrong. 
Will mix it up, you will fmd. 



LIFE'S REALITIES 211 

If a man would enlarge his view, 

See what all are driving at, 
Might find something in each that's true, 

Find in self ideas to combat. 

The disease is a moral one, 

The hazy mind is that too; 
Both is checked when the right is done, 

When we get the proper view. 

If we had the brother idea, 

Treat woman as a sister; 
Be to her as we all should be. 

Not debase, but assist her. 

Much of disease that weakens mind, 

We that soon could overcome; 
Get the faith Christ had of mankind, 

All that's good we would welcome. 

Mental hygiene is sure to come. 

Our minds will grow strong for good; 

Every thought will become wholesome, 
All lives will be as they should. 

Blessed are then the pure in heart, 

That brings the mind to be clear; 
Others hearts would never be hurt, 

Heaven to all will be near. 



SHOW KINDNESS 

Only four in a million will think, 
You can see why progress is slow; 



212 LIFE'S REALITIES 

No wonder the four do sometimes shrink, 
From telling the things that are so. 

Strong have ever preyed upon the weak, 
The weak always love to follow; 

When you think, it's the best you will seek, 
And help the fellow that's shallow. 

Jesus they may always love to preach, 
But will not live the life He did; 

And may never learn of Him to teach, 
What He taught from them may be hid. 

Why do they not preach the things He 
taught, 

Instead of what was said of Him? 
If 5'ou did, a great change would be wrought, 

The world would soon get rid of sin. 

Do not longer be weak, but grow strong. 
Look for God as you work today; 

Learn that kindness can never be wrong, 
Live that life, is the Jesus way. 

Do you know anything God can grow. 
That is better than a kind man? 

Just think to see if that is not so. 
Think something better if you can. 

If the kind man then is the best one, 
Why hesitate then to get true? 

What is the odds, then, how it is done. 
As long as kindness comes to you? 



LIFE'S REALITIES 213 

Then kindness is God or love through you, 

It is called a soul, that is all; 
And God Himself has in you come through, 

To befriend the ones that may fall. 

Those that are well a physician don't need, 

That was what Jesus ever taught; 
God through us the hungry ones would feed. 

The poor and the outcast be sought. 

We are born again when love enters. 
We are saved to good from the bad; 

Our interest, you see, now centers, 
In trying to bring the world glad. 

It is heaven we are in, you see. 

Our happiness will be complete; 
There is no man's thought for us to be, 

In life or death, we love repeat. 

FAITH 

"The life I now live in the flesh, 
I live by the faith of the Son of 
God."— Gal. 2:20. 

With Christ I am crucified. 

Nevertheless I live; 
Christ within, I'm justified. 

My life with Him I give 

In the flesh I live His life. 

Same faith as His in God; 
Takes away my early strife, 

I'm growing to the good. 



214 LIFE'S REALITIES 

The faith He had I can see, 
That good would drive out sin; 

Faith that my brother and me, 
Heaven here can begin, 

Paul once had no faith in good, 
Preferred to live in hate; 

Saw that Christ was filled with God, 
Through love did Him translate. 

He then had the faith of Christ, 
Also had faith in Him; 

Faith like His he then could trust, 
To remove all his sin. 

Please do not change the idea. 
The faith of Christ in you; 

Better than the other plea. 
Faith in Christ to renew. 

Why call Jesus loving deeds, 
That we may live to do ; 

Doing what our brother needs. 
Is but moral in you. 

The fruit is our only guide, 
AVith that Jesus was pleased; 

He that's kind is on His side, 
His heart can't be diseased. 

Encourage, then, the moral man, 
Get Jesus' point of view; 

He with Him, does what he can, 
Brings others, like Him true. 



LIFE'S REALITIES 215 

Belief in Jesus won't do, 

Belief of Jesus will; 
Get this idea in you true, 

You'll be more like Him still. 

Cast out the devil of hate, 

Get heaven into you; 
The kindly life radiate, 

That's what made Jesus true. 

The faith that made Him God son, 

Is the faith He taught all; 
God's rule in you has begun. 

Please don't call it moral. 

Teach him that the good he does, 

Is but God showing thus; 
If what you do with us goes. 

You won't be against us. 

The in or the of, you see, 

A great difference does make; 
The of brings you pure to be, 

The in to creeds relate. 



INSTITUTIONAL CHURCH 

We should have in this, our day, 
The institutional church; 

It is near to the Christ way. 
And it should inspire the church. 

People must get together. 
Can't get our heaven alone; 



216 LIFE'S REALITIES 

Destroy the cliques that bother, 
Allow none to feel alone. 

As we get closer we find, 
All people are much alike; 

All are worried with life's grind, 
Companionship they all like. 

Words are good, life is better, 
If we but find the true way; 

One shows it to the other. 
That helps all to find the way. 

Love's the keynote of it all, 
We must meet one another; 

Before we that love can call. 
Must grow it with another. 

To play in a kindly way, 
A chat or a social game, 

All suspicion will allay ; 
I'm sure is a proper game. 

Because it is new to you. 

You should never it discourage; 

If it helps to bring us true. 
We should ever it encourage. 

It should never be a trap, 
Be a place for love to grow; 

Not for crimes to give a rap, 
But where gentle ways can show. 

The gentle ways crime will kill, 
The good will kill the evil; 



LIFE'S REALITIES 217 

When tenderness our hearts fill, 
There'll be no place for evil. 

Thus God's grace will grow within, 

Will get the strength to live it; 
We will care no more for sin, 

Be beyond desire to live it. 



CHRISTIAN SCIENCE 

Christian science has too much good, 

To overlook by any one; 
If you think on it as you should, 

You will find much like Christ has done. 

Every teacher has a limit, 

But much of good to us will show; 

When we to study them submit, 
We cannot but much larger grow. 

Their leader, of course, had her day, 
She started thoughts you cannot stay; 

Led some to see a brighter ray, 
Some are satisfied with her way. 

There is no limit to a growth. 
When you get the loving spirit ; 

More you love the more it showeth. 
Until you all good will merit. 

The gentle spirit you find there. 
Will to you bring the greatest peace; 

In life you need it everywhere, 
Cause much of your trouble to cease. 



218 LIFE'S REALITIES 

You should take good where j'ou find it, 
No matter wliat name it's under; 

The loss is yours, theirs the merit, 
"When others' thoughts cast asunder. 

There is good in thought of all kinds, 
We should not be slow to get it ; 

Man cannot but grow when he finds, 
He is big enough to see it. 

They teach 3'ou the power of love, 
How it in you may come to dwell ; 

You can't of this, I'm sure, disprove, 
I'm sure it helps to keep us w^ell. 

To their church I have never been, 
But their loving life I can see; 

That is the best of tests I ween, 
It brings the good to you and me. 

They sure a law in life have found, 
In harmony all must become; 

How peace would soon us all surround, 
If we would that only welcome. 

To think but good, Science teaches. 
This alone removes your worry; 

Oood in you also beseeches. 

And will remove all your sorrow. 

We are thankful for what they've done, 
AVe only wish they may bring more; 

Wliat they have done helps every one. 
Then for more light lot us implore. 



LIFE'S REALITIES 219 

GET TO BE HOLY 

Of course you can holy be, 

Why aim for anything less? 
You want the good you can see, 

Or sins control you confess. 

To fight for peace must be wrong, 

Or talk against what is right; 
Neither grows you to be strong. 

Nor bring that for which you fight. 

You think, and ponder it well, 

There's only one aim to have; 
Clear out hate, in love to dwell, 

And get self filled up with love. 

Then you will holiness see. 

The faith of Christ will fill you; 
And free from sin you will be. 

And all your thoughts will be true. 

Never mind what Adam did. 

Remember Christ taught better ; 
Like His, your old life is hid, 

With real truth, not its letter. 

Take time then to be holy. 

Get your motives adjusted; 
Comprehend Christ's thoughts fully; 

Know that love can be trusted. 

Why should we quibble, quibble, 
About the plain truths of life? 



16 



220 LIFE'S REALITIES 

Make its essence a riddle, 
And like to keep up a strife? 

Let the living waters flow, 
In kind thoughts and loving deeds; 

And then its source all can know, 
Be beyond the thought of creeds. 

Be holy now as of old, 

In the good all can be free; 

For purity to be bold, 
Come ever holy to be. 

Take the truth as Christ gave it, 
And never push your ideas; 

Nor creeds because you have it, 
Drop it all for truth to please. 



FAITH AND REASON 

Is reason higher than faith? 

Or is reason faith worked out? 
Does it not establish it. 

Show what it will bring about? 

Have blind faith in anything, 
And not to reason the why ; 

A check is placed on growing, 
Death of the spirit is nigh. 

If you will look about you. 
Consider things as they are; 

Find growing the one thing true, 
It's in nature everywhere. 



LIFE'S REALITIES 221 

Faith without a reason blocks 

The growing in every man; 
That's why if we go in flocks, 

To get truth we hardly can. 

It makes no odds what is said, 

Or who first brought it about, 
Nor where it now may be read, 

If in life it won't work out. 

Be not tied up in a bundle, 
Reason your own thoughts, brother, 

What though you sometimes stumble, 
Find truth is love your neighbor. 

We could all get together, 

And serve each other better. 
If we knew love was Father, 

No other rock would matter. 

The rock that we must stand on, 

The one that Jesus wanted. 
Was God love in man be shown. 

Then God's care would be granted. 

Faith in Jesus, God or word, 

The truth cannot figure out; 
But reason with one accord. 

They want kindness brought about. 



CURE OF WRONG DOING 

There is a balm for every wound, 
A cure for every ill; 



222 LIFE'S REALITIES 

For every grief a solace found, 
If we but use our will. 

We cannot know the will of God, 
Nor can we wisdom get; 

Until we know the law of good, 
What aim our life to set. 

We get wisdom by living right, 
The life that love will give; 

By our hearing and by our sight, 
We will know how to live. 

Worry and griefs will pass away, 
If we resist the wrong; 

Love does it all if we obey, 
Like yeast it will keep on. 

Like begets like, so love gets love, 
Hate begets hate to share; 

This is the law we learn to prove, 
When we for right declare. 

Let us give up our selfishness. 
And live the truth to know; 

That God is love and blessedness, 
And He would have us so. 



COME TO US, MY BROTHER 

Why do you wait, dear brothers, 

Why do you tarry so long? 
To show kindness to others, 

Is surely better than wrong. 



LIFE'S REALITIES 223 

Get rid of hate, dear brother, 

Begin to love right away; 
Be born again, don't bother, 

About what others may say. 

Then when you are saved from hate, 

And when you are saved to good; 
You may regret you were late ; 

Start now to live as you should. 

Time is so short, dear brother, 

Tomorrow you may not see; 
It soon will all be over, 

At life's end what will you be? 

Why we urge, you may wonder, 

Our lives are bound together; 
So we can wait no longer, 

We need you for a brother. 

You are what God has given. 

That our life may be complete; 
To make our life a heaven, 

Together with Jesus meet. 



THE RIGHT WAY TO LIVE 

What doth God require of thee? 

Love mercy and do good; 
To those who would happy be. 

And humble as we should. 

The prophets of old agree, 
And Jesus also taught. 



224 LIFE'S REALITIES 

That our life should ever be, 

With love and kindness fraught. 

Hearts grow when we mercy show, 
The right by doing right; 

And our lamps will give a glow, 
For those that need the light. 

It's not believing alone, 
But being something more; 

Believe enough to atune, 
Your life to being pure. 



HABITS 

Goodness grows by being good. 
Badness follows the same; 

We reap what we sow and should, 
Look for the noble aim. 

To speak ill of our brother, 
Does hurt us more than him ; 

What we mete to another, 
Wrecks or helps the within. 

To ourselves let us be true. 
That we may better grow; 

Others' deeds may we construe. 
To set our souls aglow. 

Each one have all they can do, 
To keep themselves aright; 

We must aid and not subdue, 
That he may get the right. 



LIFE'S REALITIES 225 

We should have the true ideal, 

The truth within to see; 
To have those we meet to feel, 

We always true will be. 

In thought, in word and in deed. 

Show purity of life; 
And sow the purest of seed, 

That will allay all strife. 



HELPING OTHERS 

Have you a heart that's tender 

To feel another's woe? 
Can you sympathy render, 

To a friend or a foe? 

Have you a smile for others? 

Very lonely they are; 
In life they've much that bothers, 

Can you joy with them share? 

Can you give the helping hand. 
To those who're down and out? 

Give them all to understand. 
You'll help remove their doubt. 

Can you give the cheery word. 
To those whom gloom subdues? 

Let him know it is absurd. 
Give him a better view. 

This gentleness you display. 
You find in Holy writ; 



226 LIFE'S REALITIES 

It is also nature's way, 
All had better get it. 

Jesus gave up all of life, 
To show that is the way; 

There's no good in worldly strife, 
We should Jesus obey. 

We will give our hand, our heart, 
Our best word and our smile, 

That others may have a part, 
In life that is worth while. 

By cheering others we are cheered; 

By loving we get love; 
There'll be nothing to be feared. 

All will more kindness have. 



JESUS PAID IT ALL 

Jesus told it all, 
All I need to know; 

Love removes the stain, 
Makes us white aa snow. 

Let us hear his call, 

Gentle to become; 
Speak kindly to all, 

Not their faults proclaim. 

Love will lead us on. 
To do loving things; 

Kindness rights the wrong. 
Happiness begins. 



LIFE'S REALITIES 227 

We then have heaven, 

Our cup will be full; 
When love is given, 

Your life won't be dull. 

All things will be right, 

Hate will flee away; 
When we get the light, 

And love has its say. 



ODE TO A FIREMAN 

I'd like to be a fireman, 

Sit and stand about; 
Keep the machines bright and clean, 

And put the fires out. 

0, the fireman's life for me, 

Study up the route; 
Be up to date to a tee, 

To put the fires out. 

Rub up, clean up, all is fun, 

Let the ladders out; 
Then get out to have a run. 

To put the fires out. 

When the stranger comes to us, 

And looks all about, 
At everything in the house. 

That puts the fires out. 

It is then I would be proud, 
I would be a scout, 



228 LIFE'S REALITIES 

And show to all in the crowd, 
How to put fires out. 

The mayor to see I'd like, 
Come around and shout; 

He would see us hit the pike, 
To put the fire out. 

From our little beds at night, 
The bell may us rout; 

We arise with all our might. 
And put the fire out. 

Then others, when all is still, 
Our best girl comes out; 

I would have to leave her till. 
We put the fire out. 



FINDING GOD 

O, God, we would not fear Thee, 
But would Thy being know. 

Not what they dreamed Thee to be, 
But what Thou art here now. 

We see thy works all around. 
We feel thy presence near; 

Thy world with spirit abound. 
It seems too good to fear. 

The force that makes all things move, 

Toward a higher plane, 
Is the thing for us to love. 

To worship and retain. 



LIFE'S REALITIES 229 

Thou art in the growing plant, 

And in the heart of man ; 
With him in his sins and cant, 

That he may know the plan. 

The downfalls drive us onward. 

The storms of sea and land, 
Seem to force things backward, 

That all may be more grand. 

In harmony with all this, 

We try to take our place; 
That we all may find the bliss. 

That is the plan for us. 

We won't murmur or complain, 

But trust it all to Thee; 
We know that we will obtain, 

All Thou wouldst have us be. 



THE GOSPEL 

We've received from ages past. 

Very much that is good; 
Ideas that will always last. 

And ideas that are crude. 

The cruel cross was hard to bear, 
And so our hearts were touched; 

Forgetting His life to share, 
To do the things He taught. 

He did die to set us free. 
And lived the truth to teach, 



230 LIFE'S REALITIES 

That mankind should happy be, 
With all within their reach. 

Would we die for love to show, 
Our faith in its power; 

To redeem all here below, 
Christ did — think it over. 

Unseen gods we cannot love, 
Till we love our brother; 

His idea came from above, 
That we must help another. 

Then let us all worship God, 
By always being kind, 

To those who feel the cruel rod; 
God, they, us together bind. 



CAUSE OF WAR 

The animals rule by hate. 
Will have war all the time; 

Life of love will regulate. 
Make everything sublime. 

Out of the brute man bred hate, 
But himself neglected; 

For him it is not too late, 
Get himself corrected. 

Foolish man, be not misled. 
As you sow you shall reap; 

If you want to love be bred, 
Get kind, put hate to sleep. 



LIFE'S REALITIES 231 

The way love helps other love, 

The way love controls hate, 
Does to us certainly prove, 

Life in love terms translate. 

The hateful life we can drop, 

Easier than animal; 
Reason in us develop, 

Their mind for change is small. 

The dogs of war are let loose, 

Man won't his passion curb; 
Unlike the dog he can choose, 

His blindness is absurd. 

Get the kindly habit then, 

Be a peace-making man; 
Have a loving heart within. 

For love do all you can. 

Love your God with all your heart, 

Your enemy as well; 
With your neighbor get a start. 

With him in peace to dwell. 

Man or brute is kind and good, 

What a change it will make; 
All things will be as they should. 

Of the best all will take. 



JESUS' LOVE 

Jesus did not write a word, 
Why not, is very clear; 



232 LIFE'S REALITIES 

He knew words were like a sword, 
Could wound and be severe; 

He wanted man to be pure, 
The truth to get inside; 

Living water to secure, 
The source within abide. 

He knew that words were too weak, 
The right life to explain; 

But through the life He would apeak, 
To show it forth to man. 

If we would follow him, then. 
The love's source must be pure; 

Living waters will contend, 
To bring our brother's cure. 

He may not us understand, 

If we are always true; 
The kind word, the loving hand, 

He may get truth through you. 

Let love through our actions flow, 
And all our words be mild, 

So that all we meet may know 
We have become his child. 



LOVE IS THE ROCK 

Lord, thou knowcst I love Thee, 
This is the rock to know; 

I love Thee and all I see, 
Christ asked you this to show. 



LIFE'S REALITIES 233 

Let us the emphasis put, 

Where Jesus wanted it; 
Get out of the age-long rut, 

Build on the rock he set. 

If the blind ones lead the blind, 

In the ditch all will fall ; 
And other rocks you will find, 

They will not do at all. 

Awake, you would-be teacher, 

You see you're misleading; 
Will you still be the preacher. 

And hush all our pleading? 

Another word do not teach, 

Till on the rock you stand; 
I will love thee all will reach, 

I love thee is not sand. 

Quibble further why do you, 

I love thee, you love me; 
What is further to pursue, 

The earth will heaven be. 

Show your love by giving love, 

In your life live it out; 
All the hate you can remove. 

Love in all bring about. 

Love is the Holy Spirit, 

Itself the power is; 
It can change, do not fear it, 

And make your heart like His. 



234 LIFE'S REALITIES 

GOSSIP 

If you cannot yourself make, 
What you would like to be; 

Why do you then undertake, 
Wrong in others to see? 

They may have much good as you, 
From you it may be hid ; 

They may have much that is true, 
Help you of yours to rid. 

All your bad you may conceal, 
The others theirs may show; 

You better to them reveal, 
The way we all should go. 

Judgment you mete to others, 
Will be meted to you; 

Seek the meanness in others. 
You will get meanness too. 

If you the good always find. 
Goodness you're sure to get; 

And thus through love you will bind, 
And remove all regret. 

It is the way Jesus gave. 
To get a love for God ; 

Great respect for others have. 
That's the love that makes good. 

WORK OF THE CHURCH 

My brethren, I beseech you, 
To all become reconciled; 



LIFE'S REALITIES 235 

Stop pushing your ideas through, 
That ages ago compiled. 

We should strive for God and man, 

To bring them all together; 
Strive to find the only plan, 

That will the truth uncover. 

Please, let your heart feel with mine, 

My heart is with you, brother; 
With worthless thought and design, 

Life is too short to bother. 

So much trouble it brings us, 

The ignorant are distressed; 
About your belief you fuss, 

Until distrust is impressed. 

It is not for church, but man, 

That we should make our effort; 
The church for his good should plan, 

Not for numbers to report. 

To grow more love let us work. 

Get the God spirit idea; 
Why spend life over a quirk. 

When man friendly wants to be. 

Mankind's blunders have him led. 
And brought to him much sorrow; 

Thorny paths he may have tread. 
Love will come on the morrow. 

Why you withhold it longer? 
He needs it now, right away; 



i« 



236 LIFE'S REALITIES 

He with love will be stronger, 
Will become for what you pray. 

Tear away the formal dyke, 
Give freedom to every soul; 

Teach him God's kingdom to like, 
Help him find his brother's soul. 

Free him from every system, 
To more kindly ever grow; 

He'll forget man to condemn, 
He has learned to love him so. 

The greatest is the kind one, 
To teach of love is the best; 

All to God can thus be won. 
And all with peace will be blest. 

VOTE FOR WOMEN 

Woman is trying to express, 
The inner growth she feels; 

Why should we, her longer suppress, 
Encourage not her appeals? 

Kindness controls the best of men, 

It is in women too; 
It can't be their minds you condemn, 

They think, as well as you. 

It cannot be their thoughts are bad, 
And yours are always pure; 

You know this old world would be sad, 
If but man, good made sure. 

Can't you see we're bound together? 
Each have rights much the same; 



LIFE'S REALITIES 237 

As a sister or brother, 
What is there in a name? 

Humanity grows by contact, 

Women must have their say; 
When she with man forms a compact, 

Right will soon lead the way. 

The right is ever slow to come, 

This alone proves them right; 
Of obstacles they must have some; 

They grow strong through their fight. 

Without a struggle they couldn't know, 

It's through it they prepare, 
By getting ideas that are so. 

The best, with man to share. 

Sister, do not be discouraged. 

Keep up a fierce battle; 
The best in man will be emerged. 

Think you more than cattle. 

This universe was grown for you, 

As much as for a man; 
We can never be all that's true, 

'Til you are in the plan. 

The old ideas have ruled too long, 

It keeps us back, my friend; 
Do not the great plan longer wrong. 

For unity is its end. 

Her heart is big, her thoughts are good, 

She wishes man no harm; 
She wants to h^lp drive out the rude, 

The best with him to learn. 



238 LIFE'S REALITIES 

GOD IS LOVE 

The kindest man cannot but conceive, 
Of a God that's ever kind; 

The less man knows, more will believe; 
God as love, he does not find. 

The best God must be the kind one, 
The best man must be the same ; 

Man and God thus together come. 
In harmony will remain. 

Don't be foolish enough to say, 
He'll get you after you die; 

That for such talk you'll have to pay, 
Think Him kind, is to deny. 

Of course we know He'll have his way, 
Through love is the way He wins; 

It is not so much to obey, 
As rising above our sins. 

To think is foolishness in you. 
That you should go to a place, 

Where all are kind and ever true, 
And in life all love erase. 

Let love your life and aims control, 
Become what God would have you; 

Have Him within you as a soul, 
Heaven will be on earth too. 

Can you not also further see. 
Without weakening His greatness, 

That kindness, itself God must be. 
Its power brings completeness. 



LIFE'S REALITIES 239 

This spirit, why should we divide, 

Into power and kindness? 
When in love we all can abide, 

And thus correct our blindness. 

If we but knew the law of growth. 

You, this fact, could clearer see. 
In nature, everywhere showeth, 

Bringing all to better be. 

God is better than your best thought. 

He is none of your bad ones; 
Everything by God-love was wrought, 

That we might become His sons. 



ALL IS WELL 

You speak of God's sunshine. 
Are the clouds not His too? 

Why should you Him confine, 
To cheerfulness be true. 

The work of God you see, 
Growing low to higher; 

In it all He must be, 
All through love get nigher. 

It takes filth to grow seed. 
Takes clouds to moisten earth; 

Our sorrow we may need. 
That love may have its birth. 

In life we find we are, 
It is life to accept; 



240 LIFE'S REALITIES 

To everything be fair, 
Let love for all be kept. 

What nature does is right, 
Its aims you may not know; 

Grasp it with inner sight, 
Be content that it's so. 

The rain, the sun, the snow, 
Our sin, sorrow and shame, 

It all, but kindness show; 
Good only is its aim. 

Then why should any fret, 
Or in life be dismayed? 

Good alone you can get. 
Why should you be afraid? 

Your chance to love will end, 
As far as life can show; 

May we it ever spend. 
Within more love to grow. 

When with life we are through, 
Be ready for the change; 

We to all now are tine. 
Get what love did arrange. 



THE END 

As you have lived to read it through, 
Would it be too much to ask. 

That you'll begin to live it too. 
Without feeling it a task? 



